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THEORY AND PRACTICE 



OF 



VETERINARY 
MEDICINE 



NOTES TAKEN FROM 
LECTURES 



DELIVERED BY 



A. H. BAKER, V. S. 

PROFESSOR OF THEORY AND PRACTICE AT THE CHICAGO VETERINARY COLLRGE 



THIRD EDITION, REVISED 



CHICAGO 

ALEXANDER EGER 

PUBLISHER 

1912 






^V- 






COPYRIGHTED 
AT WASHINGTON, D. C. 

1911 
BY ALEXANDER EGER 



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©CLA300345 



PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION. 



Owing to the rapid exhaustion of the second edition, a 
third edition of this book has been published. 

While the style of arrangement has not been changed and 
additions are but few, still the book has been thoroughly 
revised and brought up to date. 

The liberal patronage of the profession is herewith grate- 
fully acknowledged. A. E. 



PREFAGE TO SECOND EDITION. 



The frequently expressed desire of Veterinary Students and 
Practitioners for a small and concise work on Veterinary Theory 
and Practice has prompted me to publish this little book of Stu- 
dent's notes. 

The similar edition issued several years ago was much appre- 
ciated by both students and practitioners to whom also I believe 
this new issue will be as welcome. 

This being merely a book of student's notes the language used 
is somewhat free and non-technical, a fact that will, I hope, be 
excused by the critical reader. A. E. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction * 12 

The Institutes of Medicine 13 

Classification of Disease 15 

The Blood i ......: 15 

Pulse ■ • • 17 

-Temperature 20 

Congestion 21 

Results of Active Congestion 24 

Thrombosis and Embolism 26 

Inflammation 28 

Death 30 

How to 'Kill a Horse 33 

Nosology ^o 

Rational Treatment of Disease in General 36 

Rational Treatment of a Fever $7 

Respiratory Diseases 41 

Rhinitis • • • 4- 

Laryngitis 48 

Chronic Laryngitis , 52 

Quinsy '■> 54 

Diphtheria 56 

Bronchitis 57 

Heaves or Pulmonary Emphysema 63 

Asthma '• • • 68 

Pulmonary Congestion 69 

79 

Pneumonia * / - 

Pleurisy ...-.< "1 

Record of a Case of Pneumonia 88 



8 contents. 

Diseases of the Digestive System 89 

Anatomy and Physiology 89 

Phenomena of the Digestive Organs 91 

Diseases of the Mouth 92 

Congestion of the muccal membrane 92 

Stomatitis 93 

Glossitis '. 94 

Parotiditis 95 

Ptyalism 96 

Salivary Fistula . 97 

Salivary Calculi 98 

Diseases of the Throat 99 

Pharyngitis 99 

Diseases of the Oesophagus 100 

Oesophagitis 100 

Oesophagismus 101 

Chocking 101 

Organic Diseases of the Oesophagus 104 

Diseases of the Stomach 105 

Vomition 105 

Indigestion 106 

Acute Gastric Indigestion 109 

Chronic Gastric Indigestion 110 

Gastritis • 113 

Chronic Gastritis 115 

Rupture of the Stomach 116 

Constipation 118 

Diarrhoea 123 

Acute Diarrhoea . . . •. 126 

Chronic Diarrhoea 126 

Colic 129 

Flatulent Colic 132 

Intestinal Obstructions 135 

Eversion of the Rectum 137 

Haemorrhoids . 139 

Rupture of the Intestinal Wall. . 140 

Enteritis 140 



CONTENTS. 9 

Peritonitis ' .. 143 

Dysentery 144 

Diseases of the Abdominal Glands 145 

Liver-Spleen-Pancreas 145 

Congestion of the Liver 146 

Hepatitis 148 

Chronic Hepatitis 149 

Fatty Degeneration 150 

Icterus 150 

Constitutional or Blood Diseases 153 

Variola 154 

Anthrax 155 

Rabies 158 

Glanders '., 161 

Strangles . . . ., 170 

Bursatti 172 

Botryomycosis 174 

Corn Stalk Disease. . 174 

Surra ' 174 

Influenza 175 

Purpura Hsemorrhagica 177 

Scarlatina 179 

Infectious Anemia 180 

Rheumatism 182 

Lymphangitis 186 

Epizootic Lymphangitis 189 

Azoturia 190 

Diseases of the Circulatory System 195 

Palpitation 195 

Cyanosis 197 

Syncope 198 

Acute Inflammatory Diseases 198 

Pericarditis 198 

Endocarditis 200 

Myocarditis 203 

Hypertrophy and Atrophy .......,...;.. 203 

Fatty Degeneration ._. . . . . 205 



10 CONTENTS. 

Polypi or Tumors of the Heart 206 

Rupture , 206 

Diseases of the Blood Vessels 206 

Arteritis . ., 206 

Aneurism 207 

Phlebitis 207 

Varix , 208 

Diseases of the Urinary System 208 

Albuminuria 210 

Hematuria 211 

Diabetes Insipidus 212 

Diabetes Mellitus 213 

Oxaluria 213 

Renal Congestion 214 

Nephritis , 215 

Renal Calculus . . 217 

Cystitis 217* 

Dysuria 218 

Ischuria 219 

Enuresis . 220 

Urethritis , 221 

Tumors 221 

Cysts 225 

Diseases of the Bones 228 

Atrophy of Bone 231 

Constitutional Osteoporosis 231 

Osteomalacia . . . 232 

Rachitis . 233 

Healing of Bone 235 

Diseases of the Nervous System 236 

Cerebral Congestion 236 

Cerebral Anaemia, Embolus, Apoplexy and Meningitis 237 

Cerebral Softening 239 

Myelitis and Paresis 240 

Hydrocephalus . 241 

Tabes Dorsalis 1 242 



CONTENTS. 11 

Tetanus 243 

Chorea 246 

Diseases of the Reproductive System 247 

Simple Pox 247 

Malignant Pox 248 

Urethritis 249 

Phimosis . ., 250 

Paraphimosis 250 

Dropsy of the Ovaries 251 

Hydrometra 251 

Nymphomania, Hysteria 252 

Leucorrhoea , 252 

Onanism 253 

Diseases of the Organs of Special Sense 253 

Simple Ophthalmia .' 253 

Hsematoides Fungus , 254 

Entropium ..., 254 

Ectropium, Leucoma 255 

Ulceration of the Cornea , 255 

Keratitis 256 

Filaria Oculi 256 

Amaurosis 257 

Detachment of the Retina 258 

Staphyloma . "., 258 

Periodic Ophthalmia 259 

Sun Stroke 261 

Death by Lightning , 264 



INTRODUCTION. 



HE PRACTICE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE is 
both a science and an art. As a science it inquires into 
the existence, conditions, nature and causes of disease. 
A science relates to facts ; it is not theory, it can be demonstrated. 
The existence, conditions, and nature of the case, the location of 
the disease, the causes of it, — these are all facts. 

As an art Veterinary Medicine directs its efforts toward the 
prevention, treatment, and recognition of disease. It used to be 
considered as an art only ; but now, the world over, it is regarded 
as a scientific profession. 

What is disease? Disease is any deviation from the normal 
condition i. e., from health. Health is best and most concisely 
defined as the condition in which all the vital organs perform 
their functions rhythmically. A disorder in one organ upsets 
the others. Health implies that all are working in harmony. 



THE INSTITUTES OF MEDICINE. 



The Institutes of Medicine are necessary in order to facilitate 
the study of disease. 

Disease is either functional or organic. A functional disease 
is one in which the physiological action is disturbed, but does 
not show pathological lesions or morbid anatomy. A disease is 
organic when it gives indication of morbid anatomy. A disease 
may be both functional and organic ; but it may be purely func- 
tional without showing any change of structure, the physiological 
action alone being disturbed. Hence a good knowledge of physi- 
ology and anatomy is necessary in order to understand disease, 
— physiology for the functional diseases and anatomy and hist- 
ology for the organic. 

Pathology is the doctrine of disease, i. e., it is the doctrine 
of everything connected with morbid conditions, either func- 
tional or organic. It is divided into : 

1. General Pathology. 

2. Special Pathology. 

General Pathology treats of diseased conditions in general 
w ithout reference to any special case. Special Pathology takes 
into consideration special diseases and treats of their morbid 
anatomy. 

Under general pathology the following factors come into con- 
sideration : 

1. Etiology — Cause. 

2. Symptomatology — Semeiology, Symp- 

toms. 

3. Pathogeny — Pathogenesis (the genera- 

tion, production and development of 
disease). 

4. Nosology — Classification and nomen- 

clature. 



14 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

5. Diagnosis — Recognition of the disease. 

6. Prognosis — Probable termination. 

7. Morbid Anatomy — Structural changes 

produced by the disease. 

8. Hygiene—Prevention of disease by 

good management. 

9. Therapeutics — Medicinal indications. 

Etiology. — The causes of disease are divided into two classes, 
predisposing and exciting. The predisposing arise within the 
body, — they are intrinsic. Conformation and heredity are 
examples. Consider a case of purpura hemorrhagica, a specific 
disease due to the action of some microbe on the red blood 
corpuscles. This germ lives especially in dirty stables, but is 
resisted by animals in good health ; let the animals become 
debilitated, however, and microbian invasion occurs. The 
debilitation may be caused by a decayed tooth, by poor digestion, 
etc., and we call these predisposing causes. A narrow chest and 
straight ribs predispose an animal to chest diseases ; a sickle 
hock to curb; a straight hock to bone spavin. 

The exciting causes of disease in the horse are: — 

1. Overwork or too little work. 

2. Exposure to extreme changes of tem- 
perature and to other meteorological 
conditions. 

3. Indigestible and impure food. 

4. Poisons, foul drinking water and con- 

tagions. 

Symptomatology. — The symptoms of disease are the signs, 
changes, actions, inclinations, and feelings expressed by the ani- 
mal. It covers everything that can be noticed as differing from 
the normal. In order for a practitioner to be able to recognize 
these, he must first be familiar with the normal habits of the 
various species of animals. For everything differing from the 
normal is a symptom of disease. 

Pathogeny. — The generation of disease relates to its minute 
cause, for example a bacterium ; the production indicates how 
the disease is produced by the cause; the development is the 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 15 

result of the action of the cause. Tuberculosis is produced 
by the multiplication of the bacillus, of tuberculosis, and this 
bacillus causes the disease ; caseation, cell-infiltration, and miliary 
tubercles are the result of the germ action. 

Diagnosis. — To be able to diagnose is to succeed, either in 
veterinary practice or in the human. Next comes logical reason- 
ing power — to be able to put the symptoms together. The 
veterinarian cannot ask his patient anything, and he must arrive 
at his own conclusions from what he sees. 

Hygiene. — This relates to diet, ventilation, drainage and 
general management (housing, blanketing, feeding and exercise). 
Seventy-five per cent of one's practice is produced by the bad 
management by the owners of animals. 

CLASSIFICATION OF DISEASES. 

Diseases are divided into three classes, Epizootic, Enzootic, 
and Sporadic. An epizootic disease attacks large numbers of 
animals over a large tract of country; there is no local cause. 
Any specific disease may become epizootic, as influenza in horses. 
An enzootic disease is due to a local cause and it may also attack 
large numbers over a large tract of country. Specific diseases 
are at times enzootic ; glanders might be or rabies. A sporadic 
disease is one which occurs in single scattered cases without 
specificity. Diseases of this kind are non-contagious diseases. 

THE BLOOD. 

Arterial blood is scarlet ; venous blood is blue ; dead blood is 
black. Under the microscope blood is nearly colorless. It is 
made up of water and salts and the red and white blood cor- 
puscles. It also contains fibrin forming elements; fibrin itself 
does not appear in the circulating blood. The function of the 
blood is to carry nutrition. If the circulation is disturbed a 
disturbance of the nutrition will occur. Some parts of the body 
suffer more from interrupted nutrition than others, the brain for 



16 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

instance. The amount of intelligence in an animal depends 
largely upon the amount and character of the brain circulation. 
The composition of the blood is as follows : 

Water , 784 parts to 1000 

Corpuscles 131 parts to 1000 

Albumin, salines and 

extractives 70 parts to 1000 

Fibrin 2.2 parts to 1000 

Any material change in the blood either produces disease or 
is the result of disease. If the solids increase the water de- 
creases; if the solids decrease the water increases. An excess 
of solids and a decreased amount of water is designated as 
plethora. Anaemia is the condition in which there is a de- 
crease in the solids and an increase in the water. A plethoric 
animal is said to have very rich blood ; the blood vessels are in- 
creased in size, the pulse is stronger and the mucous membranes 
are brighter. Plethora disposes the horse to certain diseases as 
azoturia for instance, and acute plethoric lymphangitis. In 
these diseases there is an excess of the solids in the blood at the 
expense of the water. Plethora itself, however, does not con- 
stitute a disease. 

The symptoms of anaemia are: 

Paleness of mucous membranes. 

Decrease in the size of the blood vessels. 

Decrease in the strength of the pulse. 

General debility. 
Liberal feeding, especially of nitrogenous food and moderate 
work are the causes of plethora. Debilitating diseases, chronic 
indigestion, and poor food, and certain parasites cause anaemia 
of the body. 

Physiology teaches that fibrin is decreased in certain animals 
and they bleed easily. Such a condition is called hemophilia, 
where an excessive hemorrhage will occur from a small wound. 
For example, a colt sweating blood is a case of hemophilia. 
Cases of castration occur in which the colts are disposed to. 
bleed. Cats have more fibrin in their blood than any other 
animal. It is said that you cannot bleed a cat to death. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 17 

Fibrin is also decreased in certain diseases. In pregnancy 
there is a decreased amount of fibrin. Some idiosyncracy may 
be a factor in causing a lack of fibrin in the blood. The function 
of fibrin is to prevent hemorrhage; if it were not for fibrin every 
animal would bleed to death. 

Anaemic animals are lacking in fibrin ; animals starving to 
death are an exception. The fibrin in their blood is increased. 
A local blister increases the. fibrin in the adjacent tissues. During 
debilitating diseases as in purpura hemorrhagica, the fibrin is 
decreased. 

PULSE. 

To define the pulse concisely is difficult; the various dic- 
tionaries give a variety of definitions. Probably the American 
Pocket Dictionary has the best. According to it the pulse is 
the expansion and contraction of the arteries as the result of the 
action of the heart. The latter part of the definition is necessary 
for the vessels are dependent upon the action of the heart. 

Arteries have three coats, the middle one, which consists of 
non-striated muscle, the inner one, the intima, and the outer one 
or the adventitia. The muscle is controlled by the vaso-motor 
system, which maintains the tonicity of the vessels. The vaso- 
motor system is dependent upon the general condition of the 
body for its vitality. 

The pulse depends upon the tonicity of the arterial muscles. 

These muscles depend upon the vaso-motor system. 

The vaso-motor system depends upon the general condition. 

A horse might appear to be in apparently good health but 
if his pulse runs up to 60 or drops a beat now and again, then 
something is wrong with him. The pulse is the index to the 
nervous system. 

The Effect of an Acute Inflammatory Disease Upon the 
Pulse. — In the first stage the nervous system is excited; the 
pulse is strong, full, regular and increased in frequency a little. 
In the second stage the nervous system is still more excited, but 
the pulse is growing weaker. Under such a condition the pulse 
is rapid, smaller and weaker than normal. In the third stage, 



18 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

supposing it to be fatal, the general system is becoming ex- 
hausted, and the pulse keeps growing weaker until finally it 
becomes imperceptible, the heart ceases to beat and the animal 
is dead. 

The pulse of the horse varies from 35-45 beats per minute. 
Under different conditions, on account of some idiosyncrasy, or 
external influences such as heat, cold, exercise, etc., the pulse of 
the horse may be faster or slower than 35. In taking the pulse 
approach the horse slowly and quietly, and in an unconcerned 
manner place one hand high up on his nose to steady the head. 
The right hand is the best to use. Let the other feel for the 
sub-maxillary artery. Roll the artery with the fingers making 
sure of its location, and then count the pulse. Give the animal 
time to quite down, else the first count will be too high, due to 
the excitement of your approach. Do not look the horse in the 
eye. It makes him nervous. 

The pulse of the ox runs from 45 to 50, with an average 
of 45. The pulse of the sheep runs from 70 to 80, with an 
average of 72 or 75. The pulse of the dog is 72, the same as 
in the human. 

In the ox it is not best to take the pulse from the sub- 
maxillary artery, for the skin over that region is thick, loose and 
pendulous, and this makes it difficult to find the pulse beat or 
if found to determine its correct character. The carotid artery 
in the neck is more suitable. Work the fingers under the margin 
of the levator humeri and feel for the artery. In the sheep, if 
the wool extends far down on the legs, then listen to the heart. 

Of the various kinds of pulse we have the following: 

1. Frequent and infrequent — 

referring to the number of beats per 
minute. Physiological conditions and 
disease cause the pulse to vary. 

2. Quick and slo w — referring to 

the actual time of each individual 
beat. 

3. Large and smal 1 — withl refer- 

ence to the volume of blood making 
up the pulse wave. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 19 

4. Hard and sof t — this characteristic 
measures the compressibility of the 
artery. 

When the pulse gets very small and hard, it is said to be 
wiry — the artery feels like a wire — or thready, as it is some- 
times called. In inflammatory diseases of mucous membranes 
the pulse is not as wiry as in the inflammation of serous mem- 
branes. A pulse is soft because it is more compressible than 
normal. This is due to prostration of the nervous system. The 
softest pulse we ever meet with is that of acute bronchitis — a 
very light pressure will cut it off entirely. 

The dicrotic pulse is one composed of two beats, both 
of which correspond to one beat of the heart. The two beats 
are quite distinguishable to the touch. The phenomenon is only 
an exaggeration of what occurs in the normal pulse. After each 
systole the volume of blood in the aorta recoils, thus developing 
a new positive wave, the dicrotic wave or recoil wave. In. certain 
fevers, when the pulse is soft, this secondary wave can be felt. 
The best illustration of a dicrotic pulse can be found in a case of 
azoturia three days old. In this condition there is not force 
enough in the left ventricle to empty itself and the systolic action 
is wavering. The natural effect of this is to produce passive 
congestion in the capillaries. 

An irregular pulse is non-rhythmic in its action ; it may 
be irregular in frequency, i. e., it may beat at 60 and then jump 
up to 80 or 90, then drop back again. Or the pulse may be 
irregular in character ; this is apt to occur when the force of 
the heart muscle is not equal to the work it has to do. 

An intermittent pulse drops one or more beats or 
even part of a beat at intervals. The intermittency may be reg- 
ular or irregular. Convalescent cases of pneumonia are apt to 
develop an intermittent pulse. The most common form is a 
drop of every fifth beat; an irregular intermittency may occur 
as a drop of every fifth, seventh and seventeenth beat, etc. 

Venous Pulse.— This is seen in the jugular vein, due to 
weak cardiac action. It is produced by the blood flowing back 
into the jugular during the systolic action of the right side of 
the heart. In horses the jugular pulse always indicates a weak 



20 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

heart. In the ox and other ruminants we get the jugular pulse 
during rumination, — purely a physiological condition. 

The pulse is the most important means of making a diagnosis. 
One should become familiar with the various kinds of pulse. 
The sense of touch should be cultivated so as to be able to 
differentiate the characteristics of the pulse. 

TEMPERATURE. 

As regards the temperature of animals there are two con- 
ditions to be found; warm-blooded animals maintain an even 
temperature regardless of the surrounding medium. Cold- 
blooded animals have the same temperature as the medium in 
which they live. All mammals are warm-blooded; amphibians, 
fishes and insects are cold-blooded. 

In a warm-blooded animal any rise in temperature denotes a 
fever ; any loss denotes waning vitality. The amount of the fever 
is measured by the number of degrees of rise in temperature ; 
the subnormal temperature is measured by the number of degrees 
the temperature is lowered. 

The normal temperature of the horse is 100; if the temper- 
ature rises above 104, the case is serious, and if above 106, 
dangerous. The temperature may rise to 107, 109, or possibly 
higher and recover if reduced- promptly, i. e., in a few hours. 
But if a horse's temperature stands at 106 for a week he will 
die; at 107 for three days, or 109 for three hours, or 110 for 
one hour, a horse will die. A sub-normal temperature of 93 is 
always fatal in the horse. In fact 2 degrees below normal is 
very dangerous and nearly always fatal. 

It is not safe to guess at the temperature, the practitioner must 
measure it with a clinical thermometer. The best place to take 
the temperature is at the anus, although there is some danger 
in inserting the thermometer. The animal may not like it and 
resist and kick. Therefore always stand to one side of the horse, 
he cannot kick out at the side. When inserting the thermometer 
in the anus, notice whether it is closed or not. In nervous 
prostration it is usually relaxed and the thermometer must be 
held in place. 



German. 


Baker. 


99.9 


100 


103.4 


101-2 


103.1 


102-3 


102.6 


101-5 


103.4 


102 (Brog.) 


106.7-111 


107-111 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 21 

A sub-normal temperature may be produced artificially at a 
much lower point than it can occur in disease. The best records 
of this are in the human. Practitioner Peters took the tem- 
perature of a woman found drunk in the winter and it was 78.8; 
she recovered. This is the lowest case on record. It is said 
that an animal cooled to 75.2 will die. 

The following is a table of the temperature of the domestic 
animals, taken from the German with the addition of Dr. 
Baker's : 

Animal. No. of Observ. 

Horse 78 

Ox 16 

Sheep 39 

Dog 162 

Hog 13 

Fowls 

The temperature varies somewhat according to the atmos- 
pheric conditions and depends upon the amount of exercise to 
which the animal has been subjected. In taking the temperature 
the animal must be quiet, exercise raises the temperature. Driv- 
ing animals raises their temperature, especially hogs, whose fat 
prevents them from cooling off. 

In conducting the mallein test for glanders in horses, the 
temperature should be taken before feeding and drinking; cold 
water lowers the temperature. The animals should be com- 
fortably placed so as not to cause them any excitement. 

CONGESTION. 

Congestion (Latin conger e, to heap up) is defined as the 
increased flow of blood to a part. It is also called hyperaemia, 
meaning an excess of blood. It is divided into Active and Pass- 
ive. The active is confined to the arterial system, the passive 
to the venous. There is also another congestion which is called 
hypostatic. Congestion is described with the name of the 
organ affected ; as, cerebral, hepatic, renal, etc. 

A physiological congestion may be produced by nature to 
allow the organ to perform its function. For example, as par- 



22 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

turition approaches, the mammary glands become congested in 
order to stimulate the cells to secrete the milk. Otherwise 
agalactia would be the result. 

The causes of active congestion are: 

1. Increased blood pressure. 

2. Diminished arterial resistance. 

The first is due to an obstruction in one part causing an in- 
creased volume of blood to another, thus raising the pressure 
in the vessels. At first their walls remain practically of the 
same diameter, but later on become dilated by the increased 
volume of blood. 

The second is caused by the nerves ; the vaso-constrictors 
become depressed and as a result the arterioles dilate. 

Whatever the irritating factor causing congestion, the imme- 
diate effect of it is a spasmodic contraction of the blood vessels. 
Dilatation then follows ; the red blood corpuscles pile up in the 
enlarged lumen of the blood vessel, forming rouleaux, while the 
leucocytes take up their position along the vessel wall to which 
they apply themselves very closely. By means of their ameboid 
movements and on account of the increased pressure they work 
their way through the vessel into the surrounding tissues. At 
the same time a considerable amount of blood plasma has exuded 
into the tissues. The blood current has slowed down so that 
there is almost complete stasis, the blood is thicker and more 
viscid, and the red blood corpuscles may become pressed out into 
the tissues either by diapedesis or rhexis. 

In hemorrhage by diapedesis the blood passes out into the 
tissues through the pores of the vessels, — the plasma, the leu- 
cocytes, and some few red blood corpuscles. In hemorrhage by 
rhexis the pressure is so great that a rupture occurs in the vessel 
wall, and the whole number of the blood elements passes through 
the rupture. As a result we get an extravasation of blood, a 
patch of tissue outside a vessel infiltrated with blood. Oedema 
is produced by hemorrhage by diapedesis. 

If the congestion in the vessel is severe enough to plug it, 
an infarction may result. The stasis of blood in the vessel cuts 
off the nutrition from the surrounding tissues and they die. This 
is most apt to occur where there is no collateral circulation. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 23 

Petechias are small red spots formed by the blood oozing out 
through the vessel. When a more extensive hemorrhage forms 
it is called ecchymosis. Hemophilia is an abnormal tendency to 
bleeding. It is usually hereditary. 

After an excessive hemorrhage, — one that would produce 
infarction, gangrene is apt to follow. Moderate congestion 
maintained for any length of time, i. e., indefinitely, will result 
in hypertrophy. The opposite extreme, ansemia, will produce 
atrophy of a part. 

The causes of passive congestion are: 

1. Mechanical obstruction. 

2. Diminished cardiac power. 

3. Gravitation. 

4. Altered conditions of the blood. 

5. Defective secretion. 

The last four of these causes we speak of as more compli- 
cated. The natural result of diminished cardiac power is less 
force to drive the blood through the vessels. The venous system 
especially suffers. Passive congestion of the lungs is common. 

Passive congestion by gravitation is seen in horses whose 
legs stock or swell up. The cause of this is a poor circulation in 
which the walls of the blood vessels are weak and the veins 
become dilated, and the blood settles in them by gravitation. 

Altered conditions of the blood are seen especially in black- 
leg, in which the quarters swell up, forming crackling tumors. 
When one of these is punctured, bloody water flows out ; the 
blood is tarry from the action of the germs causing the disease. 
The swollen quarters are passively congested. 

Defective excretions in an animal cause cedematous swellings. 
In other words, the emunctories are inactive. For instance, a 
horse's legs swell — he is otherwise in good health — give him 
a purgative and the oedema will disappear. 

The topical signs of active congestion are as follows: 

1. Redness — Rubor. 

2. Enlargement and swelling of arterioles 

and thickening of their walls — Tu- 
mor. 

3. Heat — Calor. 



24 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

4. Pain — Dolor. 

5. Altered function of the affected organ. 

The swelling in active congestion is resilient — press the part 
with the finger and the depression at once vanishes. 
The topical signs of passive congestion are : 

1. Swelling of an oedematous nature, i. e., 

doughy, inelastic; swollen tissue pits 
on pressure. 

2. Congested area is sharply circum- 

scribed. 

3. Passive congestion tends to degenera- 

tion, never to inflammation. 

In active congestion the -swelling is resilient, it fades away 
imperceptibly into the healthy part; the congestion tends to run 
into inflammation on account of altered nutrition ; the liquid 
oozing through the pores of the vessels is plastic and the swell- 
ing is apt to become permanent; and it may produce death by 
gangrene. 

In passive congestion the swelling is doughy, and is sharply 
circumscribed ; the congestion tends to degeneration, never in- 
flammation ; the liquid oozing through the pores of the veins is 
not inclined to coagulate nor organize. 

In passive congestion of the lungs an apparently paradoxical 
condition occurs because the blood leading to the lungs is venous, 
although carried by arteries ; and that going away is arterial, 
but carried by veins. We call it passive congestion of the 
lungs when due to defective cardiac power, and active when due 
to diminished arterial resistence. 

RESULTS OF ACTIVE CONGESTION. 

When active congestion occurs in a part of considerable size 
and that in excess, moist gangrene results. Gangrene is of two 
kinds, moist and dry. Moist gangrene occurs in tissues whose 
nutrition has been suddenly cut off and which therefore dies. 
The dead part is moist gangrene. Dry gangrene is the result of 
starvation, that is, when the nutrition to a part is slowly cut off. 

In moist gangrene the part is cold, insensible, and if punc- 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 25 

tured a moisture comes out. If occuring in white skin the color 
is black. In the horse the color of the gangrenous part is not 
so well contrasted. The dead part decomposes rapidly and sul- 
phuretted hydrogen is produced, which is found in solution in 
the moisture of the decomposing mass, giving it the odor of 
rotten eggs, a most characteristic smell. A silver probe inserted 
in the tissue will at once become black. Between the living 
and the dead parts there is a red line of demarcation. If the 
gangrenous portion is small, the part may slough off, the separa- 
tion taking place at the line of demarcation. By getting rid of 
the dead part the life of the animal is saved; but if the dead 
portion is too large to remove, absorption of the putrefactive 
matters takes place and poisons the blood and kills the animal. 
The dead part is usually spoken of as having a cadaverous smell. 

In the time of the outbreak of contagious pleuro-pneumonia 
in 1887, the disease was found to have existed for two years 
among the cows in the distillery sheds fed on distillery slops. 
Amongst these cows were many with bob-tails and it was said 
that the bull-dogs had bitten them off. But upon inquiry it was 
found that these animals had been inoculated against pleuro- 
pneumonia, and that a careless method of inoculation (serum 
probably decomposed) had set up a violent inflammation in their 
tails. These had become gangrenous and had sloughed off. 

Moist gangrene often occurs in the lower lobe of the lung. 
The part cannot slough off and the animal dies from absorption 
of putrefactive products. 

If moist gangrene occurs in a small part it is called necrosis. 

In fistulous withers we speak of the dead parts removed as 
necrotic tissue. 

Dry gangrene is death of tissue when the part dies from 
inanition, i. e., slowly starving to death. The part becomes 
paler and paler, losing its natural heat in proportion to the lack 
of nutrition. 

The results of dry gangrene are: 

1. Mummification — the part dries up, 

shrivels, and dies; it hangs on and 
will not drop off. 

2, Chalky degeneration (calcareous)— 



26 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

most common in the human. In this 
condition the chalky portion crumbles 
off as in leprosy. It never occurs in 
horses. 
A common example of dry gangrene may be seen in a sitfast 
on the horse. It is caused by the screws of the saddle extending 
too far down and producing pressure upon the skin; the part 
loses blood and dries, becoming gangrenous and insensible to 
pain. It does not slough, but finally produces a zone of inflam- 
mation around it. The only way to cure it is to remove the dead 
part and to remove the cause. 

THROMBOSIS AND EMBOLISM. 

A thrombus is a plug or clot in a vessel remaining at the 
point of formation. An embolus is a clot or other plug brought 
by the blood current from a distant vessel and forced into a 
smaller one, thereby obstructing the circulation. 

Thrombosis is the coagulation of the blood within the heart 
or blood vessels during life — it is the plugging of a vessel by 
a thrombus. Embolism is produced by an embolus, which is a 
body floating in the blood until it lodges in a vessel too small for 
it to pass through. In either case active congestion would be 
produced by increased blood pressure. When a thrombus forms 
in a part which has no collateral circulation, the part dies from 
inanition. In the brain there is no free anastomosis between the 
vessels and if emboli lodge in them the tissues soon degenerate 
and die. 

In embolism a clot has formed perhaps on the valve of the 
heart, or a little fibrin lodged among the chordae tendineae ; a 
little piece floats off to some distant vessel and lodges, forming 
an embolism. -An illustration of this may be seen in a horse 
which suddenly becomes lame ; he drives all right for two or three 
miles and then suddenly goes lame on one leg, in a few minutes 
is practically on three legs. He sweats profusely and the af- 
fected leg is cold. After rest he is all right, but this experience 
occurs again and again until he is practically useless. The cause 
is an arterial embolus. During exercise the collateral circulation 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 27 

of the leg is not sufficient and congestion occurs producing lame- 
ness. Severe exercise would have caused gangrene if the horse 
had not become so lame that he could not go any further. 

An ante-mortem clot is light colored; a post-mortem clot is 
black. In making a post-mortem we often find in the cavities 
of the heart a clot resembling chicken fat, lodged among the 
valves, — a soft and friable mass. The remaining portions' of 
the cavities are filled with black clots. The chicken fat clot is 
formed before death ; it varies in color and density, from a soft 
yellow substance to a fibrinous grayish mass. The old ante- 
mortem clots are usually found in the posterior aorta or in the 
iliac arteries. They are more or less hard and somewhat elastic, 
rather filling the vessels. The degree of hardness indicates their 
time of formation. Very hard clots may have formed months 
back, even years perhaps. An ante-mortem clot consists of 
fibrin, leucocytes and some few red blood corpuscles, which fade 
out. 

A post-mortem clot consists of all the elements of the blood 
and if the coagulation is rapid is of a dark red or black color. 

An irritant is anything that produces a local disturbance pri- 
marily and a constitutional disturbance secondarily. It is a sub- 
stance which when applied to a part causes a greater or less de- 
gree of vascular excitement. The stimulating influence of an 
irritant may simply alter the function of the part, it may pro- 
duce marked congestion and it may result in inflammation. 

The effects of local irritants are usually the same as in active 
congestion, — redness, swelling, heat and pain. The topical signs 
are the same also. 

It is the action of an irritant to stimulate, but the various 
irritants do this in different ways. For example, alcohol in- 
creases the function and circulatory action of the heart without 
irritating it ; on the other hand turpentine irritates the part to 
which it is applied. If aromatic spirits of ammonia be given 
internally the mucous membrane of the stomach will be irri- 
tated and stimulated. If the dose is increased, it produces in- 
creased functional activity through the increased local irritation 
upon the mucous lining of the stomach. 

The secondary or constitutional disturbance of an irritant 



28 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

is produced by reflex action. For example, the local irritation 
of a nail prick in the navicular bursa causes pain. This is 
transmitted to the brain by the efferent nerves, where this irri- 
tation may stimulate the efferent nerves, and as a result be 
carried to all parts of the body, causing an increase in the tem- 
perature, in the frequency and hardness of the pulse, and in the 
respiration. Eventually a general emaciation results. These 
effects may be mild or they may cause death, but they all come 
as the result of the action of some irritant. 

INFLAMMATION. 

A constitutional disturbance carried to the extreme always 
produces inflammation. According to Gould inflammation 
(Latin inflammare, to burn) is a condition of nutritive disturb- 
ance, characterized by hyperemia, with the proliferation of the 
tissue cells, and attended by one or more symptoms of redness, 
swelling, heat, pain, discoloration and disordered function. 

As a result the part may be very much discolored. 

To appreciate an inflammation keep in mind active conges- 
tion ; it is impossible to have an inflammation without active con- 
gestion, although we may have active congestion without inflam- 
mation. Viscidity of the fluids of the blood- and tissues plays 
an important part. The increased fibrin causes bad results and 
aggravates inflammatory tendencies. 

In inflammation the topical characteristics of active conges- 
tion are exaggerated, more pain, burning and throbbing. The 
proliferation of cells as the result of inflammation is seen in 
the healing of wounds. It has been said by some that inflam- 
mation cannot occur without cell proliferation, but I (Dr. Baker) 
say that it can; the process of inflammation may be going on 
for hours before any proliferation of cells takes place. But 
altered function is inseparable from inflammation; inflammation 
cannot occur without altered function. 

Inflammation terminates by resolution when the inflammatory 
deposits soften, liquefy and resolve, leaving no traces of the 
disease behind. If any trace is left, it is not resolution. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 29 

The stages of inflammation are three : 

1. Hot dry stage. 

2. Wet stage — the stage of effusion. 

3. Stage of suppuration, or formation of 

pus. 

The hot, burning stage is characterized by hyperemia, exuda- 
tion of plastic substances, infiltration of the surrounding tissues, 
discoloration of the tissues in the form of redness and suspension 
of function. This stage is short, an average of six hours. 

In the wet stage, or stage of effusion, serum exudes from 
the blood vessels. The serum is thin, non-coagulable (not plas- 
tic) ; it infiltrates the surrounding tissues and produces oedema. 
This second stage is long, indefinite, lasting from a day or two 
to a month or more. It is called the wet stage from the effusion 
of serum. It is particularly illustated in the inflammation of 
mucous membranes. 

The formation of pus in the third stage is brought about by 
the disorganization of tissue in which the inflammation occurs. 
The effusion of serum, pressure upon the nerves, and altered 
nutrition in a part result in a small focus of disorganized tis- 
sue, which eventually grows into a cavity containing pus. 
The pus-forming germs are most commonly the cocci (strepto- 
and staphylo). These germs inoculated into healthy tissue will 
produce suppuration, but is it possible to produce a suppurative 
inflammation without them. Hamilton, the Scotch pathologist, 
demonstrates this as follows : 

Sterilize the surface of a part, make an incision, and insert 
a sterile capsule containing a drop of croton oil. Seal over the 
wound with collodion and after three days you will find pus, 
but no germs. As soon as the capsule is dissolved, the croton 
oil cauterizes the part setting up an inflammation which runs 
the various stages until pus is formed. 

Of the various terms used in describing inflammation, we 
have the following: 

Induration — swelling hardens. 

Adhesion — a growing together of two surfaces; seen es- 
pecially in pleurisy, where the costal pleura adheres to the pul- 
monary pleura. 



30 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

Organisation — the inflammatory deposits (the proliferating 
cells, coagulated albumen, fibrin, etc.) become permanent by the 
growth of the connective tissue cells, new formation of blood 
vessels, and the penetration of new nerves, the previous seat of 
inflammation becoming a permanent part of the animal. 

Disorganisation — a degeneration and liquefying of tissue. 
In case of resolution, the softening, liquefaction and absorption 
occur, leaving the part perfectly healthy. 

As a last result of inflammation we may get gangrene, — 
both moist and dry. It will not differ from that of active con- 
gestion, except that it will be more pronounced and will occur 
more frequently. 

DEATH. 

The time comes when every animal must die. With the vet- 
erinarian, there is little sentiment about this event. It is im- 
possible to define it; if we say that it is the cessation of life the 
question immediately arises, What is life? But we do not know. 
However, we consider animal to be a machine dependent upon 
three vital functionating systems : 

1. Hydraulic system, — that including the 
• heart and blood vessels. 

2. Pneumatic system, — that made up of 

the respiratory apparatus. 

3. Nervous system, — that composed of the 

brain, medulla, spinal cord and 

nerves. 
In general, we may say that death occurs by interruption 
of one of these three systems every time. Interruption of the 
function of one will cause death, without reference to the other 
two. These three are the vital means of sustaining life, and if 
one ceases to functionate, the other two will also. 

Some pathologists record a fourth channel through which 
death may occur, — the blood, the poisoning of which (nec- 
rgemia) results in death. But this in turn acts upon the nervous 
system to which in such a condition the cause of death may be 
referred. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 31 

Death due to interruption of the heart's action is called syn- 
cope, and there are two kinds : 

1. Sudden — sthenic. 

2. Slow — asthenic. 

Sthenic syncope (sudden heart failure) is purely func- 
tional. The nerves propelling the heart lose their irritability 
and the heart ceases to beat. In this condition there is no morbid 
anatomy, no premonitory symptoms of death. The heart stops 
beating suddenly. 

In the asthenic form there is morbid anatomy and there are 
premonitory symptoms of imminent death. The horse will have 
repeated attacks of dangerous heart failure, indicating valvular 
insufficiency, or aneurism of the aorta, etc. 

Sthenic syncope occurs in two forms : 

1. Paralysis of the motor nerves of the 

heart, in which condition the heart is 
large, soft, and in a few hours after 
death will be full of a black post- 
mortem clot. 

2. Tonic spasm, in which condition the 

heart is small, hard and empty, i. e., 
when the animal is posted. The rea- 
son for this is that the heart contract- 
ed and failed to relax. If the animal 
had died during diastole, the heart 
would be large, soft and full ; but 
during systole, death finds it small 
hard and empty. This condition of 
the heart is seen in death from tetan- 
us, in which there are tonic spasms 
of the whole body. 
Sthenic syncope always occurs as the result of shock. This 
may happen during an operation, or as the result of a kick or 
some severe violence to the solar plexus. Shock is the condi- 
tion caused by any violent disturbance of the nervous system. 

Syncope may be caused by hemorrhage, and this is either 
external or internal. If the carotid artery, the jugular vein, 
or the femoral or brachial artery be severed, it takes no time for 



32 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

an animal to bleed to death. This is external hemorrhage ; 
enough blood is lost to produce syncope. Internal hemorrhage 
occurs as the result of the rupture of some internal blood ves- 
sel into either the thorax or abdomen. Castrate a colt, say a 
bleeder, and as soon as the ecraseur is removed and if the cord is 
retracted into the abdominal cavity, the hemorrhage begins and 
in 5 or 10 hours the colt will bleed to death. 
The symptoms of internal hemorrhage are : 

1. Great and increased pallor — mucous 

membranes pale, finally white as pa- 
per. This is the most important di- 
agnostic symptom. 

2. Temperature of extremities varying 

according to the rapidity of the hem- 
orrhage — cold if slow, and more or 
less warm if rapid. 

3. Great and increasing weakness — as' 

death approaches, in case of a hem- 
orrhage requiring 5 or 6 hours to 
culminate, cold sweat breaks out on 
the surface. Then follows a dazed 
expression of countenance ; the eyes 
get dim; the animal spreads his legs 
to prop his body; if down, he strug- 
gles convulsively to rise ; the pulse 
becomes feeble, small and finally im- 
perceptible ; the expired air is cold ; 
the breathing convulsive; and as 
death approaches the pupils dilate. 

Death due to interruption of the pneumatic apparatus is called 
asphyxia, whereby the animal is deprived of air. 

The symptoms of asphyxia are as follows : 

1. The mucous membranes are dark and 

grow darker. This darkening is 
called cyanosis. It does not occur 
suddenly, but comes on gradually. 

2. Eyes bulge. 

3. Nostrils dilate. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 33 

4. Breathing labored. 

5. Cold sweat usually bedews the body. 

In such a death the post mortem will show more or less 
cyanosis of all the organs, but especially of the lungs. There 
is general passive congestion. The blood turns black from the 
excess of carbon dioxide and from the decrease of oxygen. In 
the human, the face would be black, but a horse does not show 
cyanosis in his face. 

Death by interruption of the brain and nervous system is 
called coma. A comatose condition is one of stupor, insensi- 
bility, and unconsciousness. When an animal dies from coma, 
the symptoms are as follows : 

1. Prone on the ground. 

2. Insensible. 

3. Pulse slow — decreased in frequency 

way below normal. 

4. Breathing slow and stertorous ; slow, 

deep, irregular breathing and in some 
cases snoring, is always present in 
coma. 
At the approach of death, the breathing keeps getting slower 
and more irregular, the pulse the same although it may con- 
tinue to beat after respirations have stopped. In this con- 
dition of death the brain loses its irritability; the other organs 
are in normal condition. 

When it does not pay to treat an animal, the - veterinarian 
is expected to destroy it and this be must know how to do. The 
quickest and most painless method of killing is to shoot the 
animal through the fourth ventricle. An animal can lose nearly 
the whole of his cerebrum, large portions of his cerebellum 
without dying, but not the medulla. 

HOW TO KILL A HORSE. 

First, fill the gun with sufficient powder to drive the bullet 
through the cranium of the horse; a 22-calibre revolver will not 
do it. We use a 44-calibre gun, barrel about a foot long. Use 
long cartridges. 



34 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

Place one hand over the nose of the horse, holding his nose 
down toward his breast. Stand in front of him and shoot 
straight through the medulla. It is not necessary to place the 
muzzle of the gun against the forehead. If the animal is ner- 
vous, it may be necessary to blindfold him. 

Do not attempt to shoot through the ear; the petrous por- 
tion of the temporal bone is the hardest bone in the body. But 
shoot high up toward the poll and you will hit the right spot 
every time. The horse should drop instantaneously. He dies 
from coma. The bullet causes shock ; shock produces coma ; 
and coma, paralysis of the brain. 

The main objection to shooting a horse is the noise. There 
are other means of killing but they take longer and are more 
painful. Strychnine is the most active poison but it is very 
painful. Dissolve a large dose in water and inject into the 
jugular vein. When giving it by mouth, give at least 10 grains. 
Hydrocyanic acid is all right for killing dogs but it is too weak 
for the horse. The commercial acid does not keep its strength 
and the anhydrous is rare, we never get it. One-hundredth of a 
drop of the anhydrous acid on the tongue of a horse would kill 
him instantly. 

Chloroform kills by paralyzing the brain and the animal dies 
from coma. Strychnine kills by syncope, tonic spasm of the 
heart. Hydrocyanic acid kills by paralyzing the heart. The 
chief objection to using chloroform is that the animal struggles 
severely during its administration. The feeling of suffocation 
caused by the chloroform produces violent struggling and in such 
cases the animal must be restrained the same as for an operation. 

All poisons considered, probably strychnine is the best to use 
in killing an animal if you do not wish to shoot him. 

Death through poisoning of the blood is called necraemia. 
The blood dies, or in other words is killed by some specific mi- 
cro-organism, such as the bacillus anthracis. In this disease 
the blood is so disorganized by the germ that the corpuscles are 
wholly broken up and killed. This kind of death can be re- 
ferred to the nervous system and we can say that the animal 
dies from coma, yet at the same time the dead blood is the cause 
of death. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 3S 

In order to determine the channel through which death oc- 
curs, one must note the effect of the disease processes. If the 
animal dies in a comatose condition, then the nervous system is 
the cause; if syncope sets in, then the heart is at fault. A per- 
son in a faint is comatose, but it is not deep enough to produce 
death ; in real death from coma, the stertorous breathing must 
be present. All these conditions must be taken into considera- 
tion in order to determine the correct cause of death. 

NOSOLOGY. 

B)' nosology we mean the classification and nomenclature of 
disease. Diseases are divided into two general classes, constitu- 
tional and local. Of the constitutional there are two kinds, ex- 
ogenous and endogenous ; of the local, eight, these referring to 
the system affected ; they are the diseases of the respiratory sys- 
tem, the digestive system, the circulatory system, the urinary, 
the nervous, etc. The following is a simple form of the classifi- 
cation of disease : 

1. Constitutional — 

a. Exogenous. 

b. Endogenous. 

2. Local. 

a. Diseases of the Respiratory System. 

b. Diseases of the Digestive System. 

c. Diseases of the Circulatory System. 

d. Diseases of the Urinary System. 

e. Diseases of the Nervous System. 

f. Diseases of the Generative System. 

g. Diseases of the Locomotory System, 
h. Diseases of the Cutaneous System. 

A constitutional disease is one that affects the whole sys- 
tem primarily; if it localizes itself in any organ, it does so sec- 
ondarily. A local disease is just the reverse ; it is one that affects 
some part primarily, and the whole system secondarly, i. e., if 
it does so at all. 

An exogenous disease is one arising from without the body, 
i. e., the cause is from without. This includes all of the con- 



36 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

tagious diseases, such as glanders, anthrax, tuberculosis, etc. 

An endogenous disease arises within the body, the cause pro- 
ducing it is within the animal. This includes all non-contagious 
diseases, such as azoturia, acute constitutional lymphangitis, 
rheumatism, rickets, etc. 

These constitutional diseases are sometimes spoken of as 
blood diseases. Local diseases include all the diseases not con- 
stitutional, and they are classified according to the part in which 
they are located. 

RATIONAL TREATMENT OF DISEASE IN GENERAL. 

Rational treatment is that prescribed according to the indi- 
cations present. It is based upon the pathology of the case. 
Medicinal indications always should follow the pathological con- 
ditions. The prescriber should give attention to the individual 
case, and in order to do this, he must be a pathologist. He must 
first make a correct diagnosis and then follow the lesions up 
to the point where the case is presented to him. Rational treat- 
ment is based on the motto, Vis medicatrix naturse, which means 
"the power of nature to heal." Our efforts must be directed 
toward the assistance of nature, help tide her over the rough 
places and difficult conditions. 

Along the line of general treatment we divide diseases into 
acute, subacute, and chronic. Acute diseases require prompt 
and vigorous treatment what the object of either aborting the 
disease, or of lessening its severity and giving nature a chance 
to recover. The acute disease requires heroic treatment es- 
pecially in its early stages, for it tends to run a rapid course, 
to develop and terminate quickly. For example, in intestinal 
flatulence, the horse is tympanitic, there is pressure upon the 
diaphragm causing interference with respiration, and a result- 
ing cyanosis ; the horse will die from asphyxia if he does not 
get immediate relief. The treatment must be prompt ; if ne- 
cessary let the gas off with a trocar and canula. This is heroic 
treatment, and many owners object on account of the possible 
danger, but it is the only way to save the life of the animal. 

A subacute disease is mild, arises slowly, and is inclined to 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 37 

terminate favorably. The rational treatment should be mild 
and need not be so prompt. Small doses less often repeated 
are given ; in fact with no treatment at all, the case will re- 
cover. 

A chronic case is one of long standing. The rational treat- 
ment is slow, and employs such remedies as tend to produce the 
absorption of inflammatory deposits. 

RATIONAL TREATMENT OF A FEVER. 

Ephemeral fever or fabricula is a fever in which it is the 
disease, there is no morbid anatomy. Fabricula is a simple 
fever. 

Nature. — Fabricula is in itself the disease; it does not ori- 
ginate in any particular organ; runs a benign course; termi- 
nates favorably in 2 to 8 days. The nature of this disease 
considers whether it is febrile or inflammatory, the organ af- 
fected, the course the disease is likely to run, and its probable 
termination. 

Etiology. — The main factors in causing a simple fever are 
exposure to wet and cold, fatigue from hard work, irregular 
feeding, improper diet, sudden change from, the open air to con- 
finement in the stable, change of climate, change from natural 
life to artificial, — any one of these conditions may cause a sim- 
ple fever. 

Symptomatology or Semeiology. — Fabricula comes on sud- 
denly; a severe case will be preceded by rigor, the symptoms 
of which are : 

1. Coldness of extremities. 

2. Surface of the body cold. 

3. Nose and ears cold. 

4. Shivering — begins slight and increases 

in severity until the animal is shaking 
vigorously all over. 

5. Breathing increases in frequency, and 

a peculiar whistling sound is pro- 
duced. 
The number of normal respirations in the horse is 10, but in 



38 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

a chill, it may be increased to 60 per minute. The breathing is 
not labored, and there is no dilatation of the nostrils — these are 
negative conditions. As the chill grows worse, the horse hangs 
his head, droops his ears ; this may last from 2 to 8 hours. The 
more severe the chill, the longer it will last, and the higher will 
be the fever following it. 

To prescribe rationally, consider first the age and species of 
the animal; then the size, sex, vitality of the patient, duration 
of the disease, time of the year, the weather, and the surround- 
ings. All of these conditions have their influence. The treat- 
ment consists of medicinal prescriptions and hygienic measures. 

Suppose now you have a horse with a chill. The nervous 
system is excited, the blood has left the surface, the respirations 
are rapid, the pulse bard, rapid and strong. The sympathetic 
nerves control the heart and if we give Fid. Ext. of Aconite, this 
will reduce the irritability of the nerves. We prescribe with this 
a stimulant, alcohol, and the form of the prescription would be 
as follows : 

Fid. Ext. Aconite 1 drachm 

Spts. Vini Eect 4 ounces 

Aqua qs ad 1 pint 

M. Sig. — 2 ounces every 15 minutes until you get 
the physiological effect of the drugs. 

The horse will sweat, and the heart will slow and the pulse 
get soft. Some will argue against combining a stimulant and 
sedative together, saying that the one neutralizes the action of the 
other, but experience teaches that this is not true. 

Hygienic treatment consists in putting on woolen blankets 
and buffalo robes, bandaging the legs, shutting off the draughts, 
and rubbing the legs of the animal to increase the circulation. 

As soon as the animal begins to sweat give the doses less 
frequently, and finally drop them off altogether. The dose above 
given, with proper hygienic measures will put the animal to 
sweating in about 2y 2 hours. 

Suppose now that the disease has been running three days, 
you are called, say, the fourth day; you find the ears drooping, 
pulse 60, temperature 105, feces slimy, etc. In this climate, 
usually some thoracic disease — acute bronchitis, pleurisy, or 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 39 

pneumonia may develop, but in this case let us say that it has 
not. Now what will you prescribe? A fever mixture, and this 
is our stock prescription. 

n 

Fid. Ext. Aconite 1 drachm 

Fid. Ext. Belladonna.... 2 drachms 

Fid. Ext. Gentian. 1 ounce 

Potassium Nitrate 1% ounces 

Spts. Ether Nit 2 ounces 

Aqua qs ad 1 pint 

M. Sig. — 2 ounces every 2 hours. 

Make the dose small and repeat often, and in this way the 
physiological action will be produced gradually. Robertson in his 
Equine Practice gives large doses two or three times a day, but 
you will get better results with small doses every two hours. This 
impresses the owner so that he stays on hand and tends to his 
animal, and this produces better results. 

As to the hygiene, water the animal every 15 minutes (you 
may be pretty sure that the owner has been afraid to give the 
animal anything to eat or drink) until he has had his thirst 
quenched, then put a bucket of fresh water before him, and keep 
it fresh. For fodder, give oats and bran mixed and scalded with 
boiling water. The boiling water ruptures the cellulose covering 
of the grain, and make it easier to digest. 

The dose which I have given you is for an average weight 
animal, say 1,300 pounds. The aconite lessens the irritability 
of the nerves ; the belladonna lessens the congestion ; the gen- 
tian, a vegetable, helps to keep the stomach in order ; the po- 
tassium nitrate is a diuretic and a refrigerant and helps to reg- 
ulate the temperature. If ammonium chloride be added it will 
lessen the temperature more quickly. In addition to this pre- 
scription give a dram of acetanilid every four hours. 

The bowels will take care of themselves, only take notice 
whether they move or not. If not, give a soap and water enema. 

After getting the temperature down to 102, stop the acet- 
anilid and put in fluid extract of nux vomica, 1 ounce to the pint. 
Drop the potassium nitrate. When the temperature gets to nor- 
mal put the animal on Tr. Iron. Keep him quiet even if his legs 
are stocked. After the temperature has been normal for 48 
hours, exercise may begin. 



40 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

The various procedures in making a diagnosis are as fol- 
lows: 

1. Inspection. 

2. Palpation. 

3. Palpitation. 

4. Auscultation. 

5. Percussion. 

6. Succussion. 

These are the means employed to make a physical diagnosis. 

Inspection. — This implies a thorough observation of the an- 
imal before touching him at all. It includes the movements of 
the chest and abdominal muscles ; the position of the elbows ; 
the expression of the countenance, which is quick to indicate 
distress ; the extent of dilatation of the nostrils ; the amount and 
character of any nasal discharge, and the appearance of the coat. 

Mensuration. — This implies the measuring of any part and 
the comparison of it with the opposite side. The measurements 
are usually sized up with the eye rather than with a tapeline ; in 
this way the eye becomes trained to routine practice. 

Prof. Gamgee was a great stickler for tapeline measurements, 
but he was more scientific than practical. 

Palpation. — This is the act of feeling. S'ee if the surface 
is cold or hot. Manipulate the parts to find if any soreness be 
present ; feel of the coat ; count the pulse ; take the temperature ; 
when indicated, lay the. hand upon the horse's hip and feel the 
impulse of the labored breathing, for it is an important point in 
diagnosis. 

Auscultation. — This is an application of the ear to the wall 
of the body cavities to ascertain whether the sound be normal 
or not. The ear can be applied directly to the surface or a 
stethoscope can be used. In veterinary practice the ear is more 
commonly used. 

Percussion. — This is the tapping of the surface over cavi- 
ties to ascertain the density of the cavity. The practitioner must 
be familiar with the normal resonance of the body cavities. This 
varies according to the amount of flesh overlieing the cavity. A 
thin horse has greater resonance of his body cavities than a fat 
one. Dullness of the chest indicates disease; dullness of the 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 41 

facial sinuses indicates that they are filled with mucous discharges 
or pus ; dullness of the abdominal cavity is normal, and it becomes 
resonant only when filled with gas. 

Succession. — This is the act of shaking a patient so as to de- 
tect the pressure of a liquid in the cavities of the body. 

RESPIRATORY DISEASES. 

The phenomena of the diseases of any particular system 
are the various symptoms and signs which call one's attention 
to it. 

As applied to the horse, the various phenomena of the dis- 
eases of the respiratory system are as follows : 

1. Grunting. In cattle grunting occurs as 

a symptom of digestive diseases ; in 
the horse never as such. 

2. Coughing. 

3. Dyspnoea. 

4. Roaring. 

5. Whistling. 

6. Rales — called mucous rales. 

7. Crepitation. 

8. Friction sounds. 

9. Sneezing. 

10. Snoring. 

11. Wheezing. 

Grunting. — The grunt is present in acute pleurisy, and indi- 
cates painful respiration. 

Coughing. — A cough is a forcible and sudden expulsion of air 
from the chest. It begins with a sudden and deep inspiration, 
and then all the respiratory forces come into play to expel the 
air, — the diaphragm, the intercostals and the abdominal muscles. 
A cough may be either moist or dry. The moist cough is 
heard in the second stages of acute respiratory diseases ; the 
dry, in the first stage of the acute and in the chronic respiratory 
diseases. A cough may be shallow or deep ; the shallow is from 
the throat, and the deep from the bronchi. The throat cough 



42 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

is a hacking, short, sharp and shallow one; the bronchial cough 
is hoarse and deep. 

Dyspnoea. — This is labored breathing, interrupted more or 
less by some interference. It may be slight or severe, and it may 
be fatal. It is seen in either acute or chronic diseases. In the 
acute disease it requires prompt attention, but in the chronic it 
is not dangerous. 

Roaring. — This is a recognized name of a disease, and is due 
to the dropping into the larynx cavity of the left arytenoid car- 
tilage. 

Whistling. — This is a shriller noise than that of roaring. It 
may be produced by anything that constricts the caliber of the 
air-passage. 

Rales. — This sound is produced by air passing through a 
liquid, such as mucous, pus, blood, water, medicine, etc. 

Crepitation. — A crackling sound heard in the early stages of 
pneumonia. 

Friction Sounds. — This is the sound of two dry surfaces rub- 
bing together, as heard in the second stages of acute pleurisy. 

Sneezing. — Among the lower animals, this is simply blowing 
the nose, there is no cough. 

Snoring. — A noisy breathing produced usually by a polypus in 
the posterior nares. It is occasionally the result of nervous dis- 
turbance, seen in nervous high-bred Jersey cows. Pug dogs al- 
ways snore. 

Wheezing. — This is the sound heard when the air passes 
through a more or less obstructed passage, such as would be 
caused by a nasal polypus, enchondroma of the septum nasi, or 
the asthmatic exacerbation of heaves. 

RHINITIS. 

Definition. — Rhinitis is the inflammation of the mucous mem- 
brane lining the nose. It is also called catarrh, which is derived 
from the Greek katarrein, meaning to flow down, and always 
refers to the discharge of a mucous membrane. The name ca- 
tarrh can be applied to any mucous membrane of the body, but 
it is usually applicable to the nasal membrane. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 43 

Nature. — Rhinitis may be acute, subacute, or chronic. In the 
acute form inflammation of the Schneiderian membrane is pres- 
ent ; it extends back and involves the mucous lining of the fauces. 
In a very severe case, it involves the sinuses of the head, the 
frontal and the superior and inferior maxillary. 

Etiology. — This inflammation is usually brought on by expos- 
ure to cold winds, or to sudden change of temperature. It. can 
occur in hot weather as well as in cold. In Chicago the north- 
east wind is apt to cause catarrh in horses that are exposed to it 
after exercise. 

Symptoms. — The first symptom is usually sneezing ; pain is 
probably present in the Schneiderian membrane. After a few 
hours a slight cough develops ; elevation of temperature — 103 to 
104; pulse 48 to 50; lassitude; congestion of the mucous mem- 
brane of the nose and eyelids. 

Pathology. — The inflammation runs three stages ; first, the 
mucous membranes are dry and their function is suspended, sec- 
ond, this is the moist stage and a red, limpid, thin, water dis- 
charge begins which in 12-20 hours becomes starchy; third, if the 
case is bad, suppuration develops, and the discharge is muco- 
purulent — -pus mixed with mucous. In the first stage the func- 
tion of the mucous membranes is suspended, but as soon as reac- 
tion begins, they begin to act again and pour out their discharge, 
which, however, is not normal, but is degenerated, — a thick, 
starchy coagulated substance. Not all the mucous follicles sup- 
purate, and what normal mucous is poured out becomes mixed 
with the pus and degenerated coagulum. In time the discharge 
may collect in the sinuses, the swollen mucous membranes pre- 
venting its escape. It then becomes very offensive, because of 
decomposition of the mucous element. The ordinary discharge 
from the nose is usually odorless. 

Eventually the mucous membranes may ulcerate ; the perios- 
teum of the bones desquamate. 

Treatment. — The acute form of rhinitis is a febrile disease 
and therefore needs antiphlogistic treatment. The following 
procedures are recommended : 

1. Put animal in a comfortable place. 

2. Let him rest; do not work him. 



44 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

3. Dose him with acetanilid. 

4. Give a fever mixture, such as recom- 

mended in ephemeral fever. 

5. Give a diuretic — the kidneys must be 

stimulated early in every febrile dis- 
ease, so as to prevent an accumulation 
of debris in the urinary system. 

6. Apply local treatment to the head. 

Steaming the head over a tub of hot water is good for this 
case. Set a wash or soap tub on top of a barrel, and tie the 
horse's head so that he cannot thrust it down into the hot water. 
Throw a blanket over his head, and a red hot brick into the tub 
of water ; this will precipitate suddenly a lot of steam, which 
will bring relief to the animal if the inflammation is located in the 
head, but not if in the lungs. It is possible to medicate the steam 
with an ounce of white wine vinegar, or dilute acetic acid, both 
of which are soothing to inflamed mucous membranes. If the 
catarrh has reached the suppurative stage, throw an ounce of car- 
bolic acid or an ounce of tincture of iodine into three gallons of 
water (hot), and allow the steam of it to penetrate the animal's 
head. These will act as antiseptics. (Empirics will burn old 
leather and old boots, thinking that the fumes will be soothing 
to the inflamed membranes of the head, but this is erroneous.) 

If the sinuses of the head are involved, the case is severe; but 
if not nature will effect her own cure. The nature of the dis- 
charge will enable one to tell whether the sinuses are affected or 
not. If they are, after steaming, rub a little ammonical lini- 
ment on the overlaying skin. 

Aqua Ammonia y 2 ounce 

01. Terebinth y 2 ounce 

01. Gossypii qs ad 2 ounces 

M. Sig. — Eub a little of the liniment over the 
sinuses — frontal and maxillary — night and morn- 
ing; in severe cases apply to the throat and 
fauces. 

(Linseed oil can be used instead of the cottonseed.) 
After following this treatment for two or three days, the case 
is practically cured, but you must dry up the discharge and put 
the animal on a chalybeate course, — a course of iron. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 45 

Potassium Chloride % ounce 

Tr. Fer. Chlor y 2 ounce 

Aqua qs ad 1 pint 

M. Sig. — Mix and give 1 ounce every 4 hours. 

In a bad case keep the horse in for a week. As soon as the 
acute symptoms have subsided discontinue the steaming ; stop the 
use of the ammoniacal liniment as soon as the skin begins to 
wrinkle, and apply a little cottonseed oil to soften up the skin. 

Subacute Rhinitis. — These cases are mild and will not re- 
quire much if any treatment. Probably the case will not be 
brought to you in this stage. However, acute cases may develop 
into chronic and affect the sinuses of the head. 

Chronic Rhinitis or Catarrh. — This is sometimes called O- 
zena. It is a chronic nasal catarrh. Among the English Veter- 
inarians it is known as nasal gleet. Chronic catarrh alwayvs fol- 
lows the acute if it occurs at all. It has constantly to be dif- 
ferentiated from glanders. Its symptoms are as follows : 

1. An intermittent mucco-purulent dis- 

charge, of heavy specific gravity, and 
nearly always offensive. The color 
varies from greenish yellow to whit- 
ish yellow, according to the amount 
of coagulated mucous in it. 

2. Chunky condition of the discharge fol- 

lowing the intermittency. This is due 
to coagulation taking place during the 
confinement of the discharge over 
night, and it becomes very offensive. 
As soon as the animal begins to ex- 
ercise, chunks of coagulated pus and 
mucous, fetid and very profuse, pour 
out of the nose until the sinuses are 
empty. 

3. Cough may be present ; usually the sub- 

maxillary lymphatics are enlarged. 

4. Bulging of the sinuses from the pressure 

of the muco-purulent material within. 
In such a case the eyes may water a 



46 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

little, the conjunctiva be red, and the 
corners of the eyes contain a little co- 
agulated mucous. 

5. Appetite usually good. 

6. Coat looks well if the animal has been 

kept in good, condition. 
Negative symptoms : 

7. No ulceration of the Schneiderian 

membrane. 

8. If the mallein test is tried, it proves 

negative. 

Treatment. — The treatment of chronic catarrh is entirely de- 
pendent upon the condition of the animal when first seen. If the 
disease has been running for the previous three or four weeks 
without treatment, or even if treated before, try to cure the case 
without any operation. Do this by using a nasal douche. 

Tie the horse from each side and fasten him down, holding his 
face as nearly perpendicular as possible. Twitch one ear and 
insert the douche in the nostril. Do not place the twitch on the 
nose in this case. Insert the douche in the side running the 
most, using a mild lotion. A good lotion can be made from a 
10 per cent solution of sodium chloride ; sodium bicarbonate ; 
boracic acid; or borax. Borax is borate of sodium. If carbolic 
acid is used, make up a solution about. one-half of one per cent 
strength. Do not use solutions stronger than those mentioned. 
Rinse the nose with a solution of permanganate of potash — 

1 to 1000 — then use the salines. Run through the douche about 

2 or 3 quarts or a gallon of this. Internally give the horse iron 
— exsiccated sulphate — one dram in the feed night and morn- 
ing. In addition to this, if you wish, give him Fowler's solution 
of arsenic, one-half ounce night and morning. This dosage 
would be for a 1000-lb. horse ; for a 1600-lb. animal, give one 
ounce night and morning. Keep all this treatment up for two or 
three weeks, and feed on soft feed, grass if possible. If the 
sinuses are not too severely affected, this will cure the horse ; 
but if they are full of mucous and pus, of degenerated and de- 
composing material, or if the sinuses are bulging, then an opera- 
tion is necessary. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 



47 



Operation. — Put the horse on the table or lay him down, using 
a soft cushion under his head with a strong man to help hold 
him. Cut out a circular piece of skin opposite the fourth molar ' 
tooth, making the opening large enough to insert the instrument. 
Cut away the cellular tissues so as to expose the bone. Then 
bore through and withdraw the instrument and cut out the mu- 
cous membrane. In a long-standing case the pus will be very 
thick, so thick that it may have to be spooned out. Do not try to 
get all the pus out. Syringe the sinus well; the air and water 
will soften the mass so that in 60 to 72 hours the pus will come 
out easily. After the operation syringe out the cavity with a 
mild solution such as previously mentioned, and repeat night and 
morning. Hang an apron over the horse's head to cover the 
opening, and leave the hole open. The air will do as much to 
effect good healing as anything that could be applied. Some prac- 
titioners use a cob to stop up the opening, and corks are also 
used, but the wound should be left open. Nine times out of ten 
a case will yield to this treatment. After about three weeks, it 
will not be necessary to> use the syringe longer, as the mass will 
have become so soft that it can easily be removed. The first 
two weeks, syringe out once every day ; thence once every three 
days. Too much washing maintains a discharge. Nature will do 
better than local applications. 

If you meet with a case that has been running a year or 
longer, the treatment may fail. There are many cases in which 
the mucous membrane is entirely gone as the result of absorption. 
Keep the horse on iron all through the treatment ; it helps ma- 
terially to arrest suppuration. 

This operation is simple and usually satisfactory. Bear in 
mind that the fetid breath is a symptom of chronic nasal dis- 
charge. When this condition is present, always examine the teeth 
to see that they are not decayed. If you find a decayed molar, 
remove it 'nVst; but if the mouth is sound, get after the nasal 
catarrh. It is very easy to mistake this condition for glanders. 

In removing a tooth, two things are to be guarded against, 
the cutting of the blood vessels and also of the nerves that sup- 
ply the roots of the molars. Work above these and do not dis- 



48 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

turb them if possible. Although a very painful operation it is 
not advisable to use chloroform. 

LARYNGITIS. 

Definition. — Laryngitis is the inflammation of the mucous lin- 
ing of the larynx. Theoretically it may be limited to the larynx, 
but in every day practice, we usually find that it involves the 
pharynx. It is then known as laryngo-pharyngitis. This is the 
usual case we find to treat, and it is spoken of as sore throat. In 
bad cases three or four inches at least of the upper part of the 
trachea are involved. 

Pathology. — In this disease the inflammation runs the reg- 
ular typical course ; first the dry, hot stage with suspension of the 
function of the mucous membrane ; then the second or the wet 
stage with an abundant effusion producing more or less cedema. 
This cedema makes the parts swell ; if it is located mostly around 
the rima glottidis, it will diminish the size of the air passage and 
cause dyspncea. Sometimes the passage becomes closed entirely, 
and the animal dies from asphyxiation. This cedematous condi- 
tion merits a special name — 'oedema glottidis. It may result in as- 
phyxiation in 48 hours. This is always a dangerous condition 
in man or beast, but more particularly in children under 5 and in 
people over 60. The first stage is short, 5 or 6 hours only. 
Sometimes the inflammation goes on to the third stage, — sup- 
puration, but this never amounts to much. Occasionally the 
case is so severe as to produce local necrosis in the larynx, and 
the horse in coughing will throw out shreads of necrotic mu- 
cous membrane. This condition is called necrotic laryngitis, and 
the part coughed up is called a "sphacelus." The act is called 
"sphacelation." This is usually fatal, and in 6 or 8 weeks the 
horse dies from septicemia. In the horse this is a very dan- 
gerous condition because the larynx cannot be reached to clean 
it out. 

Death from cedema glottidis usually occurs within 48 hours 
if it occurs at all; after that there is less danger. 

Etiology. — The cause is undue exposure. Take a barn hold- 
ing 40 horses — brick barn worse than frame — wide open, no fire, 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 49 

and very cold. The bricks hold the chill. The horses feed out 
at noon in nose bags, and come in at night tired, very much so if 
the ground is covered with snow and ice. They cannot resist 
the chill of the barn, and the next morning one horse does not 
eat his breakfast. He has acute laryngitis. 

Symptoms. — In all bad cases there is more or less chill, which 
the attendant may or may not see; temperature 104-106; pulse 
full, round and soft, and increased in frequency; throat swollen, 
outside and in (the more it swells on the outside, the less it 
swells on the inside), and those swelling freely on the outside are 
not the most serious cases; nose poked out. If this were seen 
in the first stage, there would probably be a dry, sore, hacking 
cough with disinclination to swallow. In the second stage an 
cedematous, moist cough is present, and it is painful. The pain 
is indicated by the horse shaking his head after each cough. 
The discharge is profuse, mostly saliva, the reason for which is 
that the inflammation is in close proximity to the parotid glands, 
and stimulates them to increased functional activity. This se- 
cretion passes back through the fauces but cannot go further 
down on account of the swelling, and is therefore forced out 
through the nose. In this condition the throat is sore ; pressure 
on the outside causes the animal to throw up his head, an indica- 
tion of pain. 

The case runs along for 4 or 5 days, by which time there may 
be a little- pus, a few mucous follicles may suppurate, and the 
discharge may be starchy. However, is usually consists of mucous 
and saliva. The breathing is accelerated ; upon opening the 
mouth it is full of ropy saliva. In all these cases there is more 
or less dyspnoea, and the mucous membranes become cyanotic 
according to the amount of dyspnoea present. The less oxygen 
the horse gets the darker the mucous membranes become. If 
the dyspnoea becomes severe, the eyes bulge, and the animal 
makes a great noise both during expiration and inspiration. Death 
may come any time between 48 and 100 hours, usually in about 
75 hours. As death comes on the extremities get cold, the eyes 
bulge, and weakness develops rapidly ; but the animal persistently 
stands until he drops dead. 

Prognosis. — This depends entirely upon the amount of dysp- 



50 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

noea present. Laryngo-pharyngitis with oedema glottidis is very 
dangerous and often fatal. If it takes three or four days for the 
asphyxia to kill him, the mucous membranes will not only be 
cyanotic, but they will become ecchymotic as well. 

Treatment. — As a rule the doctor is called the first day ; he 
sees the horse not eating and discharging from the nose. The 
following is the course of treatment to pursue: 

1. First look after the hygiene, warm up 

the stable — with a stove if possible. 
Keep the temperature 60-66 degrees. 
You cannot treat an animal success- 
fully in a cold barn. 

2. Clothe warmly. 

3. Apply the ammoniacal liniment on the 

outside of the throat freely. The old 
theory of a blister supposed its action 
to be that of a revulsive to draw the 
inflammation out and to drive it 
away; but this theory is obsolete. 
We know now that it acts as a local 
stimulant, setting up a mild inflam- 
matory process; and in an acute dis- 
ease this is always beneficial. 

4. After applying the liniment, then put 

on a hot linseed poultice, which must 
be repeated night and morning. Do 
not repeat the application of the lini- 
ment. Bandage over the poultice well. 
5 V For internal medication give a dram 
of acetanilid and repeat every 4 
hours. 

6. Give an ounce of fever mixture every 

hour — small doses will insure that 
more be swallowed. 

7. See the case every day. If the inflam- 

mation increases, give a camphor 
electuary. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 51 

n 

Gum Camphor 1 ounce 

Fl. Ex. Belladonna 2 ounces 

Fl. Ex. Glycyrrhiza 2 ounces 

Fl. Ex. Nux Vomica 1 ounce 

Theriacae 6 ounces 

Pharmacy. — Powder the gum camphor in a mortar, and add 
a little alcohol. Then add the fluid extracts and stir up and 
then the theriacse. Stir all up together, adding enough pow- 
dered glycyrrhiza, probably 2-4 ounces, to make the mixture 
thick enough to administer the dose on a wooden spatula. In 
administering a dose, simply take it up on the spatula and wipe 
it off on the tongue of the animal. The advantage of the 
method is that the dose stays in the throat longer. 

If the case does not yield to these measures of treatment, 
do not wait too long for an operation ; as soon as the mucous 
membranes become cyanotic, tracheotomy is indicated. There 
are several different kinds of tracheotomy tubes and they vary 
in size to suit the animal. 

Tracheotomy. — Make an incision 2 inches long through the 
skin to the cartilaginous rings, then turn the scalpel crosswise 
and cut through the membrane of the trachea. Enlarge the 
opening with a probe-pointed bistoury. Do not wound the 
cartilage rings. Insert the tube and fasten around the neck 
well. The tissues overlaying the wound and adjacent to it 
may begin to swell and force the instrument out, but this 
need not occur if the operation is aseptic. The tube should be 
removed and cleaned every night and morning. 

If this operation does not cure, keep up the other treatment 
until the disease begins to yield. 

An ordinary sore throat is cured by the iron gargle : 

Tr. Fer. Chloride 1 ounce 

Potassium Chlorate V2 ounce 

Aqua qs ad 1 pint 

M. Sig. — One ounce every four hours. 

In cases not severe enough for the camphor electuary, alter- 
nate the gargle with the fever mixture. Also use the gargle dur- 
ing convalescence. 

Hygiene. — Keep fresh water before the animal all the time; 
give him anything he wants to eat. 



52 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

CHRONIC LARYNGITIS. 

Under this head come nearly all the conditions producing 
noisy breathing — roaring, whistling, wheezing, thick wind, 
chronic cough, and paralysis of the throat. 

Etiology. — These chronic conditions generally follow some 
acute disease of the throat, but they may not. Roaring, for ex- 
ample, is due to paralysis of a nerve ; whistling may be caused 
by a certain anatomical conformation ; wheezing, diseases of the 
nostrils ; thick wind may follow bronchial diseases ; chronic 
cough — anything; paralysis of the throat may follow acute 
laryngo-pharyngitis. 

Roaring. — Roaring is due to the paralysis of the left recur- 
rent laryngeal nerve. As a result we get paralysis of certain 
arytenoid muscles. These are the arytenoideus, thyro-arytenoideus, 
crico-arytenoideus, and the crico-arytenoideus posticus. In this 
condition the muscles atrophy and change their red, fleshy color 
to that of pale yellow or amber. As a result the arytenoid cartil- 
age drops into the larynx and obstructs inspiration. Expiration 
is performed with these, but in inspiration, the rima glottis may 
be almost closed by the obstructing cartilage. 

Symptoms. — These consist of loud roaring sounds in breath- 
ing, great difficulty in respiration, — may be so great as to choke 
the horse until he drops. But the animal does not die from 
asphyxia; when he goes down, the recumbent position helps re- 
store respiration. So long as the horse is quiet, there is no dif- 
ficulty in breathing, but the roaring occurs during exercise. As 
a rule, roaring ruins the horse, although the famous Eclipse was 
a roarer. 

Whistling. — This is a sharp shrill sound on a high key. It 
is sometimes produced by diseases of the throat. It can be 
produced mechanically. A horse with narrow jowls harnessed 
with a curb bit, under the tap of the whip will produce pressure 
on the larynx so that it becomes constricted, and this may cause 
whistling. 

Wheezing. — This disease is not necessarily connected with 
the larynx, it may be in the nose. It may be caused by neoplasm 
of the septum nasi, polypus in the nostrils, fracture with 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 53 

depression of the nasal bone, and general swelling of the mucous 
membranes as seen in glanders. The cause may be in the chest 
in the form of bronchitis, for example, in cattle; in bad cases of 
heaves in which there are asthmatic exacerbations. 

An abcess in the wall of the throat is the usual cause of 
wheezing, i. e., when its cause can be referred to the throat. 
Tympanitis of the guttural pouch may cause it — a congenital 
malformation. Wheezing may also be caused by fracture of the 
tracheal rings with depression. Stenosis of the trachea follow- 
ing tracheotomy may cause it. 

Treatment. — The treatment is usually surgical. Some cases 
may be treated successfully with an external application of a 
blister while iodide of potash is given internally. 

Chronic Cough. — This condition is generally incurable. It 
may come as an accompaniment of any of the chronic laryngeal 
troubles. It may come from heaves. It is a short, hacking 
throat cough, usually in spasms. The horse coughs once, or a 
half dozen times, then stops. In roaring and other chronic lar- 
yngeal diseases, there is usually a chronic cough and it may be 
the only thing the matter. Pinch the larynx to locate the place 
of irritation. 

Treatment. — Increased functional activity is desired, there- 
fore apply a fly blister over the larynx. The blister should be 
mild ; too severe an application will blemish the thin skin which 
covers the throat. After removing the blister grease the throat 
and wash it. Repeat the blister from three to six times, six 
weeks apart. Internally give iodide of potash (1 dram for a 
1,200 lb. horse) two or three times a day for a month, or twice 
a day for three months. Some cases will yield to the iron gargle. 
1 ounce every four hours. Guaiacol can be given also. 

Guaiacol 1 ounce 

Simple Syrup or Linseed Oil 15 ounces 

M. Sig. — Give 1 ounce 3 times a day. 

A valuable addition to this is a little heroin, li/ 2 grains to 
the ounce, especially if the cough is painful. Or a little codine 
can be given. These quiet the laryngeal nerves. 

In an ordinary case of strangles after the abscess has been 



54 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

treated, the guaiacol mixture with a fly blister on the outside, is 
good treatment. 

Hygiene. — Keep the horse on a grass diet or at any rate on 
soft feed. 

Paralysis of the Throat Following haryn go -Pharyngitis. — > 
This is a very peculiar condition ; it is a wasting of the soft 
tissues of the throat. The skin is drawn tightly over the atlas, 
and the outline of the hyoid bone can be seen. The neck looks 
like a skeleton covered with skin. There is paralysis of the 
muscles of deglutition, difficult swallowing, persistent coughing 
and the food and water come back through the nose. The horse 
runs down in flesh, is weak, and the case becomes chronic. This 
disease is liable to occur any time, but it does not occur often. 

Prognosis. — The prognosis is usually favorable if thorough 
treatment is carried out. 

Treatment. — Apply a fly blister to the outside of the throat, 
and repeat 5-6 times a month apart, being very careful not to 
blemish the skin. Put the animal on iodide of potash and strych- 
nine. Give a grain of strychnine with 1 dram of iodide of potash 
in two ounces of water 3 times a day for 2-6 months. The cases 
all recover. 

QUINSY. 

In the human, quinsy is inflammation of the tonsils in which 
abscesses form. But horses have no tonsils, and consequently 
they do not have typical quinsy. Pigs, however, can have 
quinsy, for they have tonsils. But in the horse, abscesses gather 
occasionally in the lymph glands about the throat as a result of 
laryngo-pharyngitis. We get quinsy also in some cases of 
strangles. Pus may gather in the guttural pouches — in one or in 
both — and becoming confined there, produce pressure and dysp- 
noea. 

Etiology. — Quinsy is always secondary to severe inflamma- 
tion of the throat. When it comes with strangles, it is easy 
enough to account for it, but in the other cases it is not always 
understood. These abscesses, however, probably always follow 
some local inflammation. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 55 

Symptoms. — The symptoms consist of swelling on one or 
both sides; if on both, dyspnoea; swelling hot, hard and sore 
under pressure; usually a rise of temperature; pulse 50; mouth 
full of ropy saliva ; mucous membranes discolored according to 
the amount of dyspnoea present. The abscess may form postero- 
superiorly to the pharynx (post-pharyngeal abscess) in the 
centre, but usually develops on one side more than on the other. 
In all these cases the nose is poked out. Pressing the nose to- 
ward the breast causes great pain; if done suddenly, may make 
the animal rear. 

Treatment. — When the abscess present itself by an external 
swelling, surgical interference is indicated. Being deep-seated, 
these abscesses will not point and rupture spontaneously, al- 
though they may occasionally do> so, and 9 times out of 10 they 
have to be opened. When called to such a case, find our the 
history, the length of time the case has been developing, etc., and 
then operate 5 days from the time the disease began. If the case 
has been running only 2 or 3 days, order a hot poultice. Change 
night and morning until the abscess is 5 days old, when the pus 
will have gathered sufficiently to be easily found,, and then the 
abscess can be evacuated. 

Operation. — The seat of operation is a dangerous one, there 
are so many large blood vessels to be avoided. If the abscess 
is superficial, there is not so much danger. Above the larynx 
and in front of it there is a small triangular space in which to 
cut, — the external carotid and jugular, must be guarded against. 
Clip the hair over a place 2 inches in diameter, and make a punc- 
ture through the most prominent point of the swelling (put 
intermittent pressure on the jugular below so as to easily see the 
vein) and incise the skin with an inward, up and outward motion 
of the knife. Then turn the knife down and push it into the 
abscess slowly until resistance ceases. Then you are into the 
pus sac, and when you withdraw the knife, the pus will come 
out. With a probe pointed bistoury cut up or down as condi- 
tions will permit, being careful not to cut off the blood vessels, 
and enlarge the opening sufficiently to admit the finger. Slow 
cutting causes less shock than fast. Stabbing will produce shock. 

Syringe out the abscess and inject 1 pint of antiseptic solu- 



56 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

tion (bichloride 1-500) first and then use a bichloride solution 
1-1000 until the abscess is clean. Soak a pledget of oakum in 
the bichloride solution and insert into the cavity, allowing it to 
protrude a little, and then put a hot linseed poultice over the 
place, mixing with the meal a little of a 5 per cent solution of 
carbolic acid. This poultice will reduce the inflammation 
quickly. Dress night and morning until the discharge has ceased, 
then stop the packing, smear the surface with vaseline, and put 
on a flannel hood to keep the parts warm. In about a week 
the horse can go to work. 

Occasionally you may have a hemorrhage. Do not stop 
operating, but go on quickly and finish ; then pack the cavity 
fuller than you otherwise would, and take a stitch or two in the 
skin to keep the oakum in. Do not dress for 24 hours and the 
cut vessel will have ceased to bleed. 

Post-pharyngeal abscesses are treated in the same way. 

DIPHTHERIA. 

In the human, diphtheria is- a specific inflammation of the 
throat with the formation of a false membrane. It is a consti- 
tutional disease of the exogenous type. The diagnosis is made 
by making a microscopical examination of the scrapings from 
the throat, in which will.be found the bacillus of diphtheria. 

Treatment. — This consists in the administering of anti-diph- 
theritic serum. The serum is obtained from horses that have 
been inoculated with cultures of the bacillus until no febrile reac- 
tion follows. The neck is washed and shaved, and the jugular 
is tapped, and the blood is drawn off into a sterile vessel. After 
the blood has clotted, the serum is removed and treated in some 
way to prevent decomposition, and then is put up in sealed cases 
for distribution. 

The horse is used for this work because he is especially 
healthy and his tissues are good culture media for the germs. 
He is only used once for this purpose and is then sold. 

There is no disease among the lower animals corresponding 
to diphtheria in the human. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 57 

BRONCHITIS. 

Definition. — Bronchitis is the inflammation of the mucous 
membrane lining the bronchi or bronchioles. It is divided into 
three classes, acute, subacute and chronic. The acute form affects 
the large bronchi mainly, but in severely acute cases the 
bronchioles may become involved. The inflammation is catarrhal 
in nature on account of the free flow of mucous present. Occa- 
sionally the air vesicles are also involved in the inflammation, 
and pneumonia is the result. We may have bronchitis and pneu- 
monia running at the same — bronchopneumonia. 

Bronchitis is very common in the horse, dog and man. The 
same phenomena are in all cases. It usually runs the first and 
second stages of inflammation and then an absorption of the 
inflammatory products takes place, the case terminating by reso- 
lution. But it may become chronic, especially in man and cattle. 

Acute. — The inflammation runs from 10 days to 4 weeks 
and terminates favorably. In an unfavorable case, say one 
which runs on to the third stage, the mucous follicles suppurate 
and an absorption of the toxins and poisonous products takes 
place and 90% of such cases die from septicemia in 2-4 weeks. 
Another fatal termination of the case occurs in the second stage. 
In this case the effusion is excessive and occludes the 
bronchioles. The animal would die quickly from asphyxiation 
if the condition were extensive enough. But it is usually local- 
ized and the air in the vesicles of the occluded bronchioles be- 
comes absorbed and the vesicles collapse, producing atelectasis. 
the so-called foetal lung. It is small, blue, more or less solid 
and does not crepitate. 

Etiology. — The cause of bronchitis is usually exposure to cold 
when the animal is tired. Exhaustion lessens the powers of 
resistance. Acute bronchitis may develop from laryngitis. It 
may be produced by impure air, such as we find in close stables, 
on board ship, etc. Introduction of foreign bodies into the 
bronchi, medicine, food or any other body, will cause bronchitis. 
It is more common in children and dogs. Attempt to drench an 
ox which is in a comatose condition and the failure of the 
epiglottis to close down may cause asphyxia and at any rate acute 



58 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

bronchitis. Gastric flatulence in the horse is often followed by 
acute bronchitis because of the irritation produced by vomited 
matter falling into' the air passage as it passes over the larynx 
and descend to the bronchi. Gastric flatulence produces great 
nervous prostration and the glottis, its nerves and muscles, are 
depressed. In drenching a horse do not elevate his head too 
high. It is bad practice to drench a horse through the nose. 
Inhalations of smoke and hot air in burning stables may cause 
bronchitis. 

Symptoms. — Bronchitis is usually ushered in with a rigor if 
the inflammation follows exposure. The mucous membranes 
are injected. The first stage runs a rapid course and the cough 
is deep, hoarse and dry. The temperature is 105-107 and the 
pulse 50, soft, full, round and regular. The respirations are 
18-20 per minute. The stage lasts about 6 hours. 

In the second stage effusion begins with a limpid reddish 
discharge from the nose. The expired air is hot and by auscul- 
tation over the front of the neck at the base of the trachea a 
loud rasping sound can be heard. In a few days the mucous 
membranes secrete an abnormal mucous that coagulates and 
looks like starch. In the bronchi some effusion occurs, and 
there is a lot of mucous that does not coagulate. Mucous rales 
can be heard at the base of the neck. The nostrils are dilated, 
the appetite usually lost and secretions altered, and the excre- 
tions scanty ; cough moist and suppressed, painful and made with 
the mouth closed. 

Course. — In the first stage we find the head hung low ; ears 
drooping; visible mucous membranes red; pulse 55; respiration 
20; temperature 106-108 according to the condition of the horse. 

In the second stage the first evidence will be a watery dis- 
charge from the nose, while the pulse becomes rapid and softer. 
Respiration by this time probably will get up to 24 and pulse 
probably 60. Expiring air hot and loaded with moisture, espe- 
cially plain if the horse is in a cold atmosphere. By this time 
the appetite is less and the thirst probably a little increased, feces 
inclined to be slimy, discharge from the nose quite profuse and 
more or less starch like, cough deep, painful and suppressed. 
When the horse coughs he arches his back, lowers his head and 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 59 

refrains from coughing as much as possible because it is pain- 
ful; coughs with his mouth shut, which is about the only case 
where this occurs. 

This stage is very indefinite in length, may be from 3-20 days. 
In moderately bad cases the mucous rattle will be heard in the 
large bronchi. In a very severe case you will hear a squeaky 
sound in the outer third of the lung. When you hear this you 
can conclude that you have a very serious case on hand. These 
sounds are spoken of as "sibilant" sounds and indicate a very 
severe and dangerous case. They indicate that the bronchioles 
are involved and the condition is so distinct that it has been 
given a separate name called Bronchiolitis, which is an inflam- 
mation of the mucous lining of the bronchioles. In the first 
stage you are not likely to hear a rattle in the outer third of the 
lungs but as the case runs into the second stage and through it, 
the effusion is more plastic than that in the large bronchi, so 
much so that another name is given to it ; it is called "fibrinous," 
which indicates a coagulable character and suggests possible 
dangers — effusion and exudation and tendency to coagulate and 
plug the bronchioles. In this case under auscultation there will 
be more or less dullness or possibly more or less absence of 
sound, which will compel you to consider the case very danger- 
ous. This may involve any part of one lung or both lungs. If 
both lungs are involved the horse will surely die. This dull- 
ness or partial absence of sound under auscultation indicates 
occlusion of the bronchi. In a favorable case the fever sub- 
sides and the mucous rattle gradually grows less, coughing is 
less often and painful and the appetite returns. The horse has 
been persistently standing up to this time, but he may soon lie 
down and the lungs recover by resolution. In neglected or 
prolonged cases the horse may retain his cough for many 
months or even life. 

In the third stage (suppuration) some of the mucous glands 
suppurate, the discharge from the nose then becomes muco- 
purulent. The odor of the expiring air is fetid. This fetor is 
a positive indication of the third stage. The temperature usually 
remains around 103 to 104, possibly dropping a little ; pulse 60, 
70, 75 or 78, weak, soft and small, appetite poor ; horse loses 



60 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

flesh rapidly and dies in from 2 to 4 weeks from septicemia. 
The fetor of this expiring air is so marked that you can smell 
it plainly. 

90% of the cases of bronchitis in the third stage die and it 
is safe to say that at least 90% of the cases that do not run 
beyond the second stage recover. In cattle acute bronchitis is 
more apt to prove fatal than in horses. 

Special Pathology. — In the first stage the ciliary epithelium 
is ruffled up producing the sensation of rawness that we feel in 
such cases and the mucous membrane is intensely congested. 

In the second stage the effusion of serum increases and there 
is a secretion of degenerated mucous that coagulates more or 
less. This serum macerates the attachments of the ciliary 
epithelium and they become loose and float out with the dis- 
charge leaving the surface unprotected. If the disease is con- 
fined to the bronchi no further development will take place un- 
less it goes on to the third stage, which is that of suppuration. 
In that case some suppuration will take place and probably 
ulceration. This ulceration in all probability leads to a fatal 
termination by absorption of the putrefactive matter. In cases 
of bronchitis the effusion is drawn back by inspiration, leading 
to the plugging of the bronchioles. This condition is spoken of 
as "occlusion." In some cases some of the thinner portion of 
the effusion or mucous may be forced back into the vesicles. 
The air in the vesicles at the ends of the occluded bronchioles 
becomes absorbed. In that case the vesicles collapse, which 
constitutes atelectasis, producing what is known as "fetal lung." 

Post Mortem. — There are three stages in bronchitis in which 
horses may die. One is when the effusion in the bronchi is ex- 
cessive, filling the smaller bronchi and the horse dies from 
asphyxiation, practically in the same condition as an animal 
would be under water. In bronchitis with effusion the medium 
sized bronchi are full and the horse practically drowns. The 
second is when he goes into the third stage and dies from septi- 
caemia. Third, when he has bronchiolitis with occlusion and 
atelectasis. 

The post mortem characteristics are as follows : The large 
bronchi are about half filled, we will say, with a frothy, bloody, 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 61 

sero-mucous liquid ; the smaller or medium sized bronchi will 
be found full of this. Cut the lung across and upon pressure 
large quantities of this liquid will be forced out of the 
bronchi. If the horse dies in the third stage pus will be pres- 
ent. If you lay open the bronchi you will find more or less ul- 
ceration. The affected part of the lungs will be blue, non- 
crepitant, usually with small whitish spots or specks, about a 
quarter the size of a pinhead under the pleura. These specks are 
mucous or serum which is forced back into the vessels in the 
effort to breathe. 

Treatment of an average case with a temperature of 107 fol- 
lowing a chill; horse weighing 1200 lbs; pulse 55; respiration 
20 ; visible mucous membranes red, head hanging, ears drooping. 

Criticise the stable ; see that the horse does not stand in a 
draft and gets plenty of fresh air. Ventilate the stable well. 
Put in a box stall if possible. Put a stove in the barn under 
the window, a thermometer near the horse and keep the tem- 
perature of the stable 60 to 66 degrees. Put two blankets and a 
hood on him, bandage his legs, keep the drafts off his feet by 
placing plenty of straw on the floor. If the horse has a rapid 
pulse, if effusion is profuse and there is depression, then give 
him a stimulant. 

Give 1 dram of acetanilid every 2-4 hours, according to the 
size of the horse. Put on regular fever mixture less the aconite 
with 1 ounce of muriate of ammonia added to a pint mixture. 
Apply some counter-irritant on both sides of the chest and in 
front. Provide a nurse day and night and see the horse twice 
a day. 

With the fever mixture and the acetanilid you can reduce the 
fever in 24 hours. If the mucous glands are severely excited 
and inflamed, then do not try to reduce it too quickly. 

Suppose you have a severe case — temperature 106, pulse 90, 
respiration 30, etc. You must stimulate with alcohol, quinine, 
strychnine, strophanthus and perhaps nitroglycerine. Increase 
the strength of the heart if possible. We get the best results 
from moderate doses repeated often. 

If you have a valuable draft stallion to treat, mucous rales, 
pulse 90 and soft, mucous membranes blue, etc., give a dram of 



62 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

nux vomica every hour night and day and a dram of alcohol 
and 20 grains of quinine at the same time. 

Alcohol promotes diuresis sufficiently in this stage. It is a 
good plan to add a little gentian to keep the stomach in order. 
Give the animal anything that he will eat. 

Counter-irritation I am a firm believer in. For this use 
ammoniacal liniment or mustard. 

As to hygiene keep the patient warmly clothed and the stable 
at the right temperature. 

In painful persistent bronchial cough give fl. ex. glycyrrhiza, 
ammonium chloride, strychnine, strophanthus or digitalis, and an 
anodine such as heroin (an alkaloid) of which give a grain 
every 4 hours. Make up a mixture on this basis. 

In prescribing you must know the physiological action of 
drugs. 

As regards cats and dogs, they can be dosed according to 
the breed, size and age of the animal. 

Cattle are more subject to fatal bronchitis than horses. 

Prognosis. — Bronchiolitis is serious. In acute bronchitis 
90% recover and the other 10% includes bronchiolitis and sup- 
purative bronchitis. 50% of bronchiolitic cases recover and 
10% of suppurative bronchitis. 

Chronic Bronchitis does not exist very often in horses. It 
has a peculiar morbid anatomy — a chronic dilatation of the 
bronchioles, and a chronic irritation of the mucous membranes. 
This in cattle is so marked, and the exudate is so plastic, that 
fibrinous tumors forms in the large bronchi. This never occurs 
in horses, but is found in people and in cattle and predisposes 
the animal to tuberculosis, at least this is the general opinion. 

Such an animal is always unthrifty and has a distressing 
bronchial cough. 

Treatment. — There is not very much that can be done. Treat 
on general principles. Give animal a grass diet. Give a heart 
stimulant along with 

1. Iodide of Potash. 

2. Strychnine. 

3. Muriate of ammonia. 

4. Heroin. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 63 

Hydrocyanic acid is recommended by some text-books, but 
I have not had success with it. It kills by paralyzing the heart. 

HEAVES OR PULMONARY EMPHYSEMA. 

This disease is known among horsemen as broken zvind. 
Pulmonary emphysema would seem a paradoxical expression be- 
cause emphysema indicates that air is present where it should 
not be; but in this case we have dilated air vesicles and an ex- 
cess of air in a place where air is normally present. 

Nature. — Pulmonary Emphysema is a neurosis affecting the 
pneumogastric nerve, and incidentally the heart and lungs. In 
the lungs the air vesicles dilate and sometimes rupture, with ex- 
tensive destruction of the contractility of the lung substance. 
Consequently dyspnoea results. 

Etiology. — We divide the causes into four classes: 1. 
Heredity; 2. Breed; 3. Dietetics; 4. Structural changes, de- 
pendent upon a previously diseased condition. 

It is not difficult to say wherein heredity produces heaves — 
so much so that in localities where stallion inspection is practiced, 
a "heavy" stallion cannot stand in a public stud, and this is 
proper. Heaves is unquestionably hereditary. Dr. Baker sug- 
gests that this factor may have a relation to the gluttonous appe- 
tite of the parent. 

Breed is not a very important factor in the etiology. Prof. 
Robertson claimed, however, that the light draft breed is most 
subject to heaves. 

Dietetics cuts a very important figure. This even plays its 
part in heredity. A bulky innutritious diet, tends to produce 
heaves — especially is overripe Timothy hay a very common cause 
of heaves. All horses living on overripe Timothy do> not have 
heaves, but heredity comes in to determine the percentage. 

In structural changes depending upon a previously diseased 
condition, the lungs may have had their function partially sus- 
pended by pneumonia or bronchitis and the healthy part had to 
do the work of the whole, in which a chronic dilatation of the 
air vesicles took place in the healthy part. 

In case of dilatation of the bronchioles, the air vesicles at 



64 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

the ends of those bronchioles become dilated and the lung is 
emphysematous. 

When a horse with a full stomach is driven rapidly against 
a strong wind, he is very apt to> develop heaves. The pathogene- 
sis is this : the stomach rests upon the diaphragm interfering with 
respiration and the horse takes in too much wind and the powers 
of expiration become tired. The horse takes in more air than 
his lungs can dispel because the diaphragm gets tired, due to 
pressure of the stomach. 

Nature. — Pulmonary emphysema may be either vesicular or 
interlobular. Vesicular is seen in the horse in the form of dila- 
tation of the vesicles. Interlobular is seen in cattle in which the 
air is found in the interlobular connective tissue. The probable 
reason for this difference is that in the horse there is very little 
interlobular connective tissue and the walls of the vesicles are 
stronger, while in cattle the interlobular connective tissue is 
abundant and there is little or no resistance to< the air passing 
through the vesicular walls into the connective tissue around 
them. 

Pathogenesis and Morbid Anatomy. — In this connection I 
shall endeavor to show you the connection between cause and 
effect and how the effect is produced by the cause through the 
pneumogastric nerve. The pathogenesis will also include the 
morbid anatomy. 

Assume that a horse has an excessive hereditary ap- 
petite and is a ravenous eater; eats all that is given him, 
wants more and is inclined to eat his bedding after he has eaten 
his feed ! The result is distention of the stomach, partly caused 
by eating more or less innutritions food. Over-ripe Timothy 
hay is not fit for horse feed. If he has to eat it he should not 
be allowed to eat more than two-thirds of the straw, this the 
upper part ; the lower third or perhaps half of it is too woody 
and hard and contains little nourishment. Suppose now that 
this horse with a ravenous appetite is being fed on overripe 
Timothy hay, — he will develop the heaves. He is forced into 
the habit of having his stomach filled with innutritious food and 
will soon not be satisfied with the ordinary amount of feed. 
The result is that the walls of the stomach become distended, 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 65 

and this produces pressure on the gastric periphery of the pneu- 
mogastric nerves. This is the starting point of heaves. It 
starts in the stomach. This pressure effects these peripheral 
nerves, increases their irritability. This disturbed condition of 
the nerves constitutes what is known as neurosis. The neural 
disturbance works upwards and forwards through the pneu- 
mogastric and involves the pulmonary and more or . less the 
cardiac branches. The pulmonary branch is lessened in tonicity 
which allows the vesicles to dilate by reducing their tonicity. 
These vesicles dilate a little more and more every day until 
finally the dilatation becomes chronic. 

In connection with the pathogenesis, especially as it refers to 
morbid anatomy, notice the results on the vesicle walls. The 
first affect of the dilatation is anaemia of the vesicle walls. This 
is a natural mechanical result. The second effect is irritation, 
and then follows a mild subacute inflammation which runs into 
a chronic. The only evidence we have of chronic inflammation 
in these air vesicles is cell proliferation. This produces a thick- 
ening of the walls of the vesicles and destroys their contractility. 
If the early development of the disease is rapid you may get 
rupture of several vesicles into one large one. Imagine that this 
is quite general throughout the lungs and you can imagine you 
are going to have considerable disturbance in respiration. In 
this pathogenic connection you will 'find that the horse is worse 
at times; this is due to the condition of the stomach. If a 
heavy horse gets an unusually big load of food in the stomach 
you will have increased irritability of the pneumogastric nerves 
and the pulmonary branches as well. This irritability of the 
sympathetic system that supplies the unstripped muscular fibres 
produces spasms of them. 

Symptoms. — Heaves may be incipient or confirmed. In in- 
cipient heaves you have the disturbed function without the mor- 
bid anatomy. In confirmed heaves you have the disturbed func- 
tion and morbid anatomy. It is therefore difficult in some cases 
to diagnose a case of incipient heaves. If the doctor can diag- 
nose this he can cure it. Anybody can diagnose confirmed 
heaves, but nobody can cure it. 

The symptoms of incipient heaves are as follows: Breathing 



66 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

about 30; nostrils slightly dilated; spasmodic cough that is 
usually dry but without pain ; pulse and temperature normal ; 
coughing sometimes in spasms ; horse feels well, drives well and 
eats like a pig — never misses a meal ; abdomen good sized, though 
probably not over large; animal usually in good flesh, assuming 
that he is liberally fed and exercised every day. If the horse is 
quiet for two or three hours you can hear a little mucous rattle at 
the base of the trachea. This mucous rattle indicates irritation 
of the bronchi or perhaps of the bronchioles. 

In confirmed heaves we have these symptoms : inspiration 
normal; first half of expiration normal; second half requiring 
additional force which is brought to bear upon the diaphragm 
by contraction of the abdominal muscles, which throws the 
abdominal viscera forward upon the diaphragm, pressing the 
lungs. Concomitant with this is a firm contraction of the inter- 
costal muscles and the second half of the tidal air is forced out 
by mechanical pressure. Just as soon as this is accomplished 
the abdominal muscles instantly drop back to their normal posi- 
tion. This produces a flank movement which is characteristic 
of heaves. If this flank movement is present you can satisfy 
yourself that the case is one of heaves, that is incurable and that 
there is morbid anatomy in the lungs. In chronic heaves the 
cough is apt to be more spasmodic. Sometimes the horse will 
cough for a minute or two without stopping. During asthmatic 
exacerbations the nostrils are dilated and the visible mucous 
membranes frequently become cyanotic. A chronic heaver al- 
ways suffers more or less from chronic indigestion. This is 
manifested by a thinness of flesh, pot belly, long coat and general 
unthriftiness, and by breaking wind while coughing. 

Treatment. — The whole treatment should have a bearing 
upon the pneumogastric nerve which needs its irritability 
lessened. The following is a good prescription : 

Fl. Ex. Gelsemium 1 dram 

Lobelia 1 dram 

Chloral Hydrate (freshly dissolved) 1 dram 

Aqua 1 pint 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 67 

The treatment should follow along the line of a tonic for 
the nerves. 

Best tonic arsenic 

Best stimulant strychnine 

Best sedative lobelia 

Bear in mind that the horse will eat anything — in fact is in- 
clined to be gluttonous. Therefore give his medicine in powders. 
In order to insure that the horse gets the powder, put a 
double handful of bran in with the oats, dampen it, and mix 
well. This is the only medicine the horse will require. 

Arsenic 2 drams 

Lobel. sem. pulv 8 ounces 

Nux Vomica 4 ounces 

Gentian Ed 4 ounces 

Charcoal , 1 ounce 

Ft. 60 powders — these will last a month. 

M. Sig. — 1 powder night and morning in the feed. 

Hygiene. — Regulate feed. Give horse a change of hay — 
limit the amount to 10-14 lbs. a day. After he has eaten up his 
hay put on a muzzle. This is absolutely indispensable. It is a 
good plan to divide the feed into 2 feeds. If the horse is on the 
track, take him away and let him rest a month — this gives the 
air cells time to rest. Give the same amount of grain as usual. 
The stomach in this case is distended from bulky food, and not 
from the grain. There is a lot of virtue in bran — not from its 
nutritive qualities but from its indigestibility. 

In 3 or 4 weeks the cough will disappear if the hygiene is 
regarded. After having one attack, the horse is predisposed to 
another. This hygiene must be carried out as long as he lives. 

Three points I wish to emphasize. 

1. That the nature of case is neurosis starting in the 

stomach and we must treat the pneumogastric. 

2. Give a sedative, then a tonic. 

3. Then comes the muzzle. Do not forget the hy- 

giene. 

Don't imagine that rapid breathing indicates thoracic trouble, 

and that breathing 30 times a minute and dilated nostrils are 

diagnostic of acute bronchitis. Do not diagnose a case from the 

first symptoms or one symptom. In incipient heaves you have 



68 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

dilated nostrils without dropping of the flanks. Just as soon 
as you get morbid anatomy, then you have confirmed heaves. 
Incipient heaves is curable ; confirmed heaves is not — it all hangs 
on the morbid anatomy. 

Confirmed Heaves. — The treatment practically is the same 
except you may have to give more of the nerve sedatives and 
treat the stomach, for it is always in a state of chronic indiges- 
tion. Do not give too much arsenic. You can relieve the dis- 
tress in the breathing in confirmed heaves, but can't cure it. If 
you have to give Timothy hay, let it be cut early, when it is 
full in bloom. If you wait until the bloom (2nd bloom) is off, 
the lower half of the stalk is of no use. 

In examining horses for soundness, you must watch closely 
for the wind of the horse, for dealers have means of covering 
up the wind by giving alleviating remedies. Watch the action of 
the flanks ; notice how long it takes the horse to recover after 
being jumped. Normal horse recovers his wind in two or three 
breaths ; a horse may take an half hour — -then be suspicious. 
Catch the horse by the bit and shake him up ! Slap him on the 
ribs, and if he has confirmed heaves he will grunt — then turn him 
down. 

You can't cover up a roarer with dope so that if he is a 
whistler, a roarer, etc., the quick jump will bring it out, but the 
grunt indicates heaves. 

If a bovine has heaves, it is no great matter; we are never 
called to treat it — it is simply a scientific pathological curiosity. 

ASTHMA. 

There is a great difference of opinion as to whether horses 
have asthma or not, but the best authorities recognize it. It is 
so closely related to heaves that the two are identical with a 
little difference in symptoms. 

Symptoms^ — These are as follows : 

1. Asthma never arises as an original 
lesion — animal has heaves in the in- 
cipient or confirmed form. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 69 

2. Marked dyspnoea — equally so in in- 

spiration and expiration. 

3. Wheezing both in inspiration and 

expiration. The air goes in and out 
with difficulty but in heaves the ex- 
piration only is accompanied by 
strong breathing. 

4. Symptoms suddenly developed. 

5. Anxious countenance. 

6. Flanks heaving. 

7. Wheezing. 

8. Temperature, 102-5. 

9. Pulse 60, or thereabouts. 

Diagnosis. — How shall we differentiate asthma from acute 
bronchitis ? The wheeze we never get in acute bronchitis ; it is 
produced by spasmodic contraction of the non-striated muscles 
in the bronchioles, and this contraction is caused by the sud- 
denly increased irritability of the pneumogastric nerve. The 
pulse and temperature are incidental — not diagnostic, probably 
due to the dyspnoea. 

Treatment. — Nerve sedative is indicated. The sedatives are : 

1. Gelsemium. 

2. Lobelia. 

3. Chloral Hydrate. 

4. Belladonna. 

Give liberal doses every hour until horse is relieved. Also 
you can give a hypodermic dose of morphine (4 gr) and atro- 
pine (1-2 grain) and repeat after 3 or 4 hours. 

PULMONARY CONGESTION. 

In its severe form pulmonary congestion is known as pul- 
monary apoplexy, mechanical engorgement, hemorrhagic infarc- 
tion (impaction means the same), etc. 

Nature. — It is a passive congestion of the lungs — the capillar- 
ies and veins are involved. Suppose the capillaries become 
plugged and the outlet is dammed and the arterioles become in- 
volved, as a result we get: 



70 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

1. Interrupted nutrition. 

2. Dilatation of the blood vessels. 

3. More or less extravasation. 

4. Sometimes hemorrhage by rhexis. 

In case of hemorrhagic infarction, it is never general 
throughout the lungs, but in patches, which are black and solid. 

Etiology. — The most common cause of a typical case is se- 
vere exertion when the animal is not in a condition to take it. 
This applies to horses. A horse "out of condition" is gross — 
has not had sufficient work. The animal is plethoric and there 
is an excess of fat in and around the muscles and kidneys, which 
weakens the muscles, and that around the heart weakens the 
heart. The bowels are larger and more vascular; the blood 
vessels are larger and the walls are weaker. 

A horse "in condition" to take fast work is in just the reverse 
condition. 

1. Muscles are clearly delineated and 

hard. 

2. Walls of vessels are strong. 

3. Contractility of the lung tissue is 

strong — weak in horse "out of condi- 
tion." 
A horse "out of condition" has a weak heart; a horse "in 
condition" has a strong heart. The conditioning of a horse to 
do fast work is a slow process, but he must have regular work — 
work off the surplus water and fat. Let the horse stand in the 
stable 10 days, well fed, and not exercised, and then be taken out. 
Then if he starts out at 12 miles an hour the following symp- 
toms will show up : 

1. Horse begins to blow. 

2. Slows up in his gait. 

3. Short in his wind. 

If the driver has any sense, he will let him slow up, but sup- 
pose he hits him a crack, and the horse jumps into a quick pace 
again, then 

4. He breaks out into sweat. 

5. Slows up again. 

6. Looks around — eyes blood-shot. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 71 

7. Anxious countenance. 

8. Elbows turned out. 

9. Panting 100 a minute. 

10. Expired air is cold — air does not reach 

the capillaries so as to get warm. 

11. Ears and extremities cold. 

12. Hemoptysis (in bad cases) — bleeding 

from lungs. 

13. Blood coming from the nostrils is 

frothy. 

14. Action of heart is tumultuous — the 

beats come piling in one after an- 
other. 

15. Pulse irregular in every respect — fre- 

quency, force and rhythm. 

In an aggravated case — we do not see it in this country — 
the horse dies right away. Such can happen with young bloods, 
in fox hunts, etc. The horses are at the mercy of the hunters.. 

So far as other causes are concerned, impure air may cause 
passive congestion of the lungs — the imperfectly aerated blood 
would not nourish the tissues properly. This occurs in cold sta- 
bles which are shut up tight, and the air becomes poor in quality. 

Morbid Anatomy. — There is no free arterial anastomosis in 
the lungs, and the consequences are grave on account of this 
fact. The infarction occurs in patches, and the circulation 
there is arrested. If the impacted portion is large enough, the 
animal will die of asphyxia, but in any case the impacted portion 
dies, and moist gangrene results : the animal dies in 3 or 4 days. 
In case the congestion is not severe enough to cause gangrene, 
then it probably will produce inflammation and end in pneu- 
monia. 

These are the four results of pulmonary congestion : 

1. Resolution — congestion products be- 

come absorbed. 

2. Moist gangrene of certain portions. 

3. Pneumonia. 

4. Asphyxia. 



72 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

Post Mortem. — The lesions depend upon the immediate cause 
of death: 

1. Asphyxia — lungs black. 

2. Gangrene — lungs green — mortified. 

3. Pneumonia (always limited to certain 

parts) portions of lung will be red or 
gray. 

4. In case of impaction there will be more 

or less bloody froth in the tubes. 
Microscopically there is more or less 
extravasation of blood into the vesi- 
cles. 
Hypostatic congestion of the lungs occurs sometimes. The 
lung is not as severely congested ; no bloody froth in the 
bronchioles ; normal crepitation and normal specific gravity of 
the lung; blood is not forced in — simply due to gravitation; no 
exudation, no extravasation, no hemorrhage by rhexis or diape- 
desis. This kind of congestion plays a very important part in 
diagnosis for forensic purposes. 

Treatment. — Give plenty of fresh air; keep him quiet — do 
not let the horse be ridden or driven home ; take him to the near- 
est stable and leave him there until he recovers. Clothe him 
warmly. Give him stimulants — alcohol, strychnine, atropine, 
aromatic spirits of ammonia, digitalis, strophanthus. 

Bear in mind that the congestion is due to diminished cardiac 
power. It used to be practiced to bleed horses in this con- 
dition, but we do not do it any more. The weak heart dictates 
the rationality of the treatment. Keep the animal quiet for sev- 
eral days and watch for pneumonic symptoms. Clothe warmly, 
bandage legs, and keep him on light diet. If gangrene develops, 
great and sudden weakness comes on, loss of appetite and death. 

PNEUMONIA. 

Definition. — Pneumonia is an inflammation of the parenchyma 
of the lungs, i. e., the air vesicles. It is divided into several dif- 
ferent classes : 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 73 

Location. — 

1. Lobar — when a whole lobe is affected. 

2. Lobular — when it is limited to lobules. 
Character — 

1. Fibrinous or Croupous. 

2. Catarrhal — usually complicated with 

bronchitis — broncho-pneumonia. 

3. Caseous Pneumonia — tuberculosis. 

4. Interstitial Pneumonia — when the in- 

flammation is located in interstitial 
tissue. 

We also have (1) Contagious and (2) Non-Contagious 
(sporadic) pneumonia. Pleurisy is sometimes combined with 
pneumonia and we get pleuro-pneumonia. The horse practically 
always has the lobar pneumonia and it is always fibrinous. He 
has both the contagious and the non-contagious and has the inter- 
stitial as a complication in glanders. Occasionally he has the 
catarrhal form as far as the complication of bronchitis with it is 
concerned, constituting broncho-pneumonia', but the pneumonia 
is fibrinous. 

The catarrhal form is seen most often in children ; fibrinous 
in horses and men. The catarrhal is usually the form seen in 
dogs and cats. Caseous is seen in cattle, men and swine. 

Characteristics of cut surface of consolidated lung: 

1. Fibrinous — glistening, rough, dry, i. e., 

comparatively. 

2. Catarrhal — smooth and moist. 

3. Caseous — opaque, cheesy, smooth and 

lustreless. 

4. Interstitial — this is more the inflamma- 

tion of the interlobular connective 
tissue, and extends to the vesicles 
only secondarily. This is the pneu- 
monia which complicates gfenders, 
seen also in coal miners. 
Fibrinous pneumonia is usually lobar, while the catarrhal i^ 
frequently lobular. Pneumonia may be single or double — right 
or left lateral. It runs through four well defined stages. As- 



74 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

suming now that preceding the pneumonia there must be active 
congestion of the lungs, the various stages are : 

1. Dry hot stage of inflammation in which 

the function is suspended. Walls of 
the vesicles are dry, and during respi- 
ration they crackle and the sound can 
be heard by auscultation instead of 
the normal respiratory murmur. 
Stage lasts 6-10 hours. 

2. Stage of effusion — the lung becomes 

cedematous and will pit on pressure. 
In the contagious pleuro-pneumonia 
of cattle the cut lung will drip with 
serum — never so cedematous in horses. 
Stage lasts 3-4 days and gradually 
drifts into the 3rd stage. 

3. Red hepatization — so-called because the 

lung resembles liver in consistency. 
The third stage is long or short ac- 
cording to the severity of it. Stage 
lasts 1-2 weeks and drifts into the 
fourth. 

4. Gray hepatization — 'this is practically 

the same as the 3rd stage except 
that the tissue loses its color — the 
hematin fades out. 
The time of crisis comes at the height of the 3rd stage. 
This is followed by a progressive softening which runs through 
the 4th. In recovery the inflammatory deposits soften, liquefy 
and become absorbed, terminating in resolution in the large ma- 
jority of horses. More horses recover from pneumonia than 
any other species of animal. It is marvelous to what extent 
they recover. 

Pneumonia may occur in either one side or the other, either 
the right or left lateral or both lungs, in which case it is double. 
We find by experience that it occurs most often on the right 
side. Right lateral pneumonia is more common than left lateral 
or double. I think that in this respect it will correspond to the 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 



75 



observations in the human subject. A German authority gives 

the following statistics of 6666 cases of pneumonia in the human : 

53.70 per cent were right lateral. 

38.23 per cent were left lateral. 

8.07 per cent were double. 

These will run about the same in the horse. 

Semeiology. — First Stage — Breathing is accelerated, nostrils 
dilated slightly, temperature probably 106, pulse 50, full, round 
and strong. Auscultation reveals a faint crackling sound in the 
lungs ; respiration probably 20. 

Second stage — By auscultation you hear some crackling and 
a good deal of dullness; respiration a little faster, probably 24; 
nostrils a little more dilated ; visible mucous membranes highly 
injected and about the 3rd day they begin to become icteric (yel- 
low). The secretions become altered, namely, the urine gets 
scanty and high colored ; feces are scanty ; what pellets are 
passed are coated with slime ; thirst increases ; expired air hot ; 
tubular breathing increased. In normal respiration you do not 
hear any tubular breathing; the air passes in and out without 
any perceptible sound. But in case of rapid breathing, as the 
vesicles begin to fill, we can hear the air rushing in and out 
through the bronchioles. This is called "tubular breathing." In 
normal breathing the only sound we hear is the quiet respiratory 
murmur. 

The symptoms run along from day to day gradually grow- 
ing worse : temperature always about 106 ; pulse getting more 
rapid,— 3rd day about 60; 4th, 64; 5th, 70; 6th, 75; and 7th, 80. 
The strength of the pulse will depend upon the extent of the 
lungs involved. If both lungs are involved, the case is usually 
fatal. A case of double pneumonia that is fatal generally dies on 
the 5th day. The animal may live to the 6th, and if he lives to 
the 7th, there is hope that the crisis will be passed with safety 
and he will recover. 

Suppose that a fatal case with extensive consolidation has 
been running for 5 days : on the morning of the 5th day you find 
the nostrils intensely dilated, respirations probably 40-50 per 
minute, and there is an impulse given to the body by the respira- 
tion, You will detect that impulse by placing your hand on 



76 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

the hip of the animal. This impulse is in direct proportion to the 
amount of dyspnoea present. This is a valuable point in making 
your prognosis. In other words, the greater the impulse, the 
greater the labor in breathing with disastrous consequences. 

The mucous membranes begin to get cyanotic by about the 
end of the 3rd day. This increases until time of death, when 
they are livid with an orange tinge. As death approaches, the 
horse sweats in patches, his extremities get cold, and exhaustion 
develops rapidly. He persistently stands all through the course 
of the disease until he drops and dies from asphyxia. 

After the lungs have become solid, under percussion you get 
a solid dense sound, — no sound except the tubular breathing. 
Note particularly that there is a difference between pneumonia 
and hydrothorax. In pneumonia you hear the tubular breathing 
to the very bottom ; in hydrothorax you hear no sound below the 
water line. This tubular breathing is a very important symptom 
in pneumonia, in which it is a diagnostic symptom. No respir- 
atory murmur can be heard for the air vesicles are full. In 
such a condition the expired air is usually cold, for it does not 
stay in the lungs long enough to get warmed up. 

Etiology. — A specific pneumococcus causes an ordinary case 
in croupous pneumonia. In other cases a bacillus is found, which 
some bacteriologists consider pathogenic for this disease. But 
these germs are usually found in the mouth of the healthy ani- 
mal so that it yields to the action of germs which are constantly 
present in his mouth. 

A lowered resistence on the part of the animal will allow the 
bacteria to grow and multiply. Those exciting causes are as 
follows : 

1. Exposure to cold and wet. If the cold 

is damp, this aggravates the case. 

2. Insufficient ventilation. 

3. Defective cardiac power as seen in pas- 

sive congestion of the lungs. 

4. Inhalation of smoke and irrespirable 

gases. 

5. Foreign bodies taken in through the 

trachea and bronchi. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. // 

6. Gastric flatulence and eructations. 

7. Faulty mechanism of deglutition, — epi- 

glottis does not close over the rima 
glottis properly, and eructated matter 
from the stomach falls into the 
larynx. This occurs in severe nervous 
prostration in gastric flatulence. 

8. Traumatisms. 

9. Broken rib — end jammed into the lung. 
10. Old age — senile pneumonia. 

Pneumonia is a peculiar disease especially as it is seen in 
old age. In this condition probably the nervous system is worn 
out, and we get a weak heart — diminished cardiac power, there- 
fore, being the cause of the congestion and the pneumonia. 

Contagious Pneumonia. — We do not know much about its 
cause. Horses affected with influenza, known as "shipping fe- 
ver," "sales stable fever," etc., have this pneumonia. This form 
of pneumonia arising as an incidental feature of influenza is spe- 
cific — it is contagious. Upon physical examination we find no 
difference from the ordinary form of pneumonia, but the his- 
tory is different. I consider that this pneumonia is a local man- 
ifestation of a constitutional disease. 

Symptoms. — There are two marked symptoms which occur 
in the contagious penumonia : 

1. Great nervous prostration. 

2. Marked icterus. 

These symptoms are not so marked in sporadic pneumonia. 
In the contagious the prostrated nerves fail to act in the liver and 
we get biliary congestion, the bile becomes absorbed and the 
mucous membranes become yellow. It takes three or four days 
for this symptom to appear. 

Interstitial Pneumonia of Glanders. — This is an incidental lo- 
calization of the virus of the disease. It attacks the interstitial 
tissue primarily, and extends to the parenchymatous tissue sec- 
ondarily. 

Contagious PI euro-pneumonia of Cattle. — This is specific, 
usually lobular, but in severe cases may be lobar. In all cases 
pneumonia in the horse produces a localization of the virus. It is 



78 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

fibrinous. When localized, it becomes encapsulated, indicating 
that the penumonia is sharply circumscribed. Its definite local- 
ization is a marked characteristic of the disease. This pneu- 
monia becomes chronic; it never terminates by resolution. In 
'87-'88 two-thirds of the Cook County cattle died from con- 
tagious pleuro-pneumonia. 

Symptomatology. — Contagious pneumonia in the horse is 
usually preceded by a rigor. There is high fever on the first day ; 
temperature 106; pulse full, round, strong and about 50; fine 
crackling sounds in the lungs ; breathing about 22. The second 
day the temperature is still 106; respirations about 26; not so 
much crackling; lessened respiratory murmur; increased tubular 
sounds ; part is dull under percussion ; expired air is hot ; urine 
is scanty and high-colored; feces scanty; usually complete anor- 
exia. On the third day the temperature is still the same — 106 ; 
pulse 66 ; respirations 30 ; mucous membranes yellowish ; nostrils 
dilated; considerable impulse to the body by respiration; thirst 
increased ; elbows turned out ; pellets of feces coated with slime : 
by auscultation the lung substance is dull, by percussion less 
resonance. The fourth day (now in the third stage), tem- 
perature 106.5; mucous membranes cyanotic; body impulse in- 
creased; tubular breathing only (can be heard to the very bot- 
tom). Fifth day — temperature lowered, 104.5; pulse 80; res- 
pirations 30; heaving of the flanks; increased cyanosis; extrem- 
ities cold; rusty discharge from the nose (not always present) ; 
sometimes actual hemoptysis; ears drooped; haggard counte- 
nance ; expired air cold ; pulse growing imperceptible. The an- 
imal dies usually on the 5th day. But if he recovers, the crisis 
is reached on the 7th day. As the lung clears up you will hear 
a little respiratory murmur here and there. 

Most horses recover quickly from pneumonia, but there will 
be an occasional one that will linger along for 4-6 months and 
than die. In such a case the consolidation was excessively hard, 
so that when it ran into the stage of gray hepatization, instead 
of resolution, the material broke down and formed abscesses. 
The products become absorbed and the horse dies from septi- 
caemia. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 



79 



Treatment. — There is no specific treatment for pneumonia. 
Inasmuch as the pneumococcus is recognized as a specific cause, 
there will probably sometimes be found a serum which will coun- 
teract the disease. Now we must treat the symptoms. With 
the pathology in mind we come to the conclusion that we must 
stimulate the heart. A strong heart tends to prevent consolida- 
tion; a weak heart encourages it. Therefore if you let the heart 
get weak, the horse will run down rapidly. 

Strychnine comes at the head of the list of stimulants. You 
cannot treat penumonia successfully without it. I have not 
much use for digitalis — we do not get satisfactory results from 
using it in treating the horse. It is all right in the disease of the 
dog and man. As regards alcohol we get good results from its 
use. 

Let us suppose a case in the ffirst stage, the short stage. Heroic 
treatment may abort the disease. I would recommend either lib- 
eral blood-letting or a fever mixture such as acetanilid, aconite, 
belladonna and spirits of nitrous ether. The acetanilid will act 
the same as blood-letting, i. e., lower the temperature. Apply 
stimulants externally, say a liniment. The ammoniacal liniment 
is too strong to spread over the broad side of a horse ; the or- 
dinary white liniment which we use as a sprain liniment is good 
here. Apply a pint over the surface and then cover it immedi- 
ately. This warms the animal and seems to act as a special 
stimulant to the vaso-motor system. Bandage the animal's legs, 
put him off by himself where he will not have to breathe the air 
of other animals, — where the air is not impoverished by the 
fumes of urine and feces. 

With this treatment for 24 hours, if you have been successful 
in aborting the disease, the temperature will have come down 
to normal, the pulse 50, though soft and perhaps a little weak. 

If the case comes to you in the second stage, pulse 60-70, 
mucous membranes yellow, etc., the case is serious. Pulse at 
60 is the danger point — you cannot abort the disease. With a 
view to eliminating the consolidation, carry the horse to the crisis. 
Cut out the aconite on the second day and potash on the third. 
Give stimulants. 



80 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

The following is a prescription for a serious case in the sec- 
ond stage : 

• $ 

Quinine Sulphate 1 ounce 

Spts. Vini Eect 8 ounces 

Glycerin . 6 ounces 

Fl. Ex. Nucis Vom 2 ounces 

Fl. Ex. Gent. Ed 2 ounces 

Aqua qs ad 1 quart 

M. Sig. — Give 2 ounces every 2 hours Also give 

a dram of acetanilid every 2 hours, until the 

temperature is lowered. 

If the horse weighs 1800 lbs. increase the dose. Repeat the 
stimulating liniment night and morning until he begins to get a 
little sore. Push this mixture until you get the heart to pound- 
ing like a hammer. 

External treatment in the form of ice packs over the lungs 
is good for pneumonia. A linseed poultice with mustard mixed 
in is preferred by some. Woolen blankets wet with cold water 
can be applied to the chest and covered with warm dry blankets. 
This abstracts heat and lowers the temperature, alleviating the 
congestion. 

In regard to hygiene avoid drafts, give good bedding, keep 
cold water before the animal and change often. In lieu of good 
grass, give scalded oats and bran with a pinch of salt. Give 
the horse anything that he will eat so as to keep up his appetite. 
Sometimes a horse will eat corn off the cob when he will not eat 
anything else. Keep the bowels open, — soap and water enema 
once, or twice a day if necessary. Keep the temperature at 
102-4, but the main thing is the pulse. Keep it at 60 and below 
and the horse is safe. Watch the action of the kidneys ; do not 
let the diuresis go too far. When sufficient, drop out the potash, 
the alcohol will maintain sufficient diuresis through the rest of 
the course. If necessary give a little Tr. Iron and lessen the al- 
cohol. Bear in mind that strychnine is the sheet anchor and 
hygiene comes next. 

If your case is one of broncho-pneumonia, add chloride of 
ammonia to the fever mixture. This is a special stimulant for 
bronchial diseases. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 81 

PLEURISY. 

Definition. — Pleurisy is an inflammation of the pleura, a 
serous covering to the inside of the chest cavity (parietal) and 
to the outside of the lung (pulmonary). Between the two sides 
is a partition called the mediastinum. In the horse cribriform 
openings are in it making a communication between the right and 
left pleural cavities. The pleura normally secretes serum, 
which, however, is different from the serum of inflammation. 

In the horse pleurisy frequently exists as a separate and un- 
complicated disease, but in man and cattle, it often exists in 
combination with pnemonia. Pleurisy may affect either side 
fright or left lateral) and it may be on both sides (general). It 
may originate on either the costal or pulmonary pleura and ex- 
tend to the other parts by contiguity. In most cases in the 
horse the costal pleura is the one most usually affected. 

Etiology. — There are several causes which come into play: 

1. Extension of inflammation to the 

pleura from contiguous tissues. 

2. Direct irritation from local injury or 

from adventitious growths. 

3. Exposure to cold and dampness. 

4. Blood contamination. Pleurisy in 

this case is the localization of a spe- 
cific disease, e. g., the contagious 
pleuro-pneumonia of cattle. In horses 
we find an equally typical case in 
this localization of influenza. 
Extension. — The pulmonary pleura can easily be affected by 
an inflammation in the adjacent lung tissue, such a? we find in 
pneumonia. 

Direct Irritation. — Suppose a broken rib juts into the costal 
pleura, though not puncturing it. This irritation will set up an 
inflammation. A shaft thrust into the chest of a horse will 
always cause pleurisy; grapy tumors so common in cattle and 
hogs will cause it. 

Exposure. — Meteorological conditions will cause pleurisy. If 



82 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

an animal has a long wet coat and stands for some time, he may 
come down with an attack of pleurisy in a few hours. 

Blood Contamination. — The so-called "sale stable fever" or 
influenza, may cause pleurisy, but it is general while that due 
to the other three causes is localized. 

Pleurisy may develop from intrinsic conditions within the 
body, as from anaemia or pyaemia. Hereditary conditions, acute 
rheumatism or typhoid fever may cause it. It may be incidental 
to old age. In these latter conditions the pleurisy develops as a 
complication. 

Course. — Pleurisy runs through four well-defined stages: 

1. Stage of active congestion. 

2. Dry hot stage of inflammation (first) 

3. Oedematous stage of inflammation 

(second). 

4. Absorption (if horse does not die). 

Special Pathology. — In the first stage of pleurisy, the pleura 
becomes congested in streaks, spots or patches. These by ex- 
tension become confluent until the whole pleural surface is bright 
red. This condition is accompanied by definite symptoms on the 
part of the animal. These symptoms are very marked and they 
do not occur in the congestive stage of any other inflammation. 
The second stage of pleurisy (the first or dry hot stage of in- 
flammation) is characterized by a dry hot pleural membrane 
whose function is suspended. The costal and pulmonary pleura 
are both dry rubbing on each other, and by auscultation friction 
sounds can be detected. The second stage is short, 6-8 hours. 
The third stage is the second or oedematous one of inflammation 
and is divided into two parts: A plastic exudation upon the 
pleural surface (the pleura is so dense that it cannot easily be- 
come infiltrated), — a coagulated mass forming a false mem- 
brane. In this first part of the third stage pleurisy may termi- 
nate by resolution, a sort of fatty degeneration of the false mem- 
brane ; or if both pleurae are involved, they may adhere and 
grow together, forming a perfect adhesion, common in cattle and 
in people, but not often in horses. Recovery may take place 
after adhesions have formed, but the adhesions remain perma- 
nent. The second half of the third stage is characterized by an 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 83 

effusion into the pleural cavity, i. e., providing adhesions do not 
form. This effusion is called hydrothorax — water in the chest. 
The lungs float up until the animal cannot breathe and he dies 
from asphyxia. If the extent of (edematous pleura is not too 
big, and the inflammation subsides before the chest is more than 
one-third full, absorption will take place and the animal will re- 
cover. 

The special pathology of pleurisy is just as typical as in any 
other inflammation. All fatal cases of pleurisy die in the second 
half of the third stage. If the animal goes on to the fourth 
stage, the stage of absorption, he recovers. 

Hydrothorax is dangerous or not according to the amount 
of serum in the chest. Its quantity depends upon the extent of 
the inflammation and its severity. In most cases the liquid in 
the cavity is serum, but it may be purulent and the condition 
is called empyema. Empyema is much more serious than hydro- 
thorax. 

Symptomatology. — Pleurisy is ushered in with rigor which 
is more or less severe. As a rule it is less severe than the chill 
of bronchitis or pneumonia. The coat of the animal is staring 
and he has a rise of temperature. The congestion of the first 
stage is painful ; the horse is restless, he paws, gets up and down, 
and sweats. These symptoms are often mistaken for those of 
colic. This mistake does no harm except that it delays the 
proper treatment. This stage lasts a few hours when the horse 
becomes more quiet, he is disinclined to move and breathes with 
care. His pulse is increased and begins to get hard ; ribs are 
fixed ; abdominal muscles contracted, producing a line to the 
point of the elbow. This depression is called the pleuritic line, 
which as a rule we do not get in any other disease. 

As further symptoms we find the elbows turned out ; ears 
drooping and cold ; legs cold and the expired air cold. The horse 
breathes as little as he can because it is painful, and the air does 
not reach the vesicles. Auscultation reveals friction sounds over 
the affected part, like two dry surfaces rubbing together. If you 
force the fingers between the ribs, it will cause pain and the 
horse will flinch and grunt. If you move him he will grunt. This 
grunt in acute diseases always indicates pleurisy in the horse; 



84 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

cattle, dogs and men grunt in other conditions. Also in chronic 
respiratory diseases in the horse we may have a grunt. When 
pleurisy is complicated with other diseases we can always detect 
it by the grunt. 

The second stage of pleurisy runs along for 24 hours and 
we find the pulse increased in frequency and hardness. In the 
first half of the third stage the horse persistently stands ; pleuritic 
line is well marked; breathing increased to 30; temperature 104; 
urine scanty and high-colored ; bowels inactive ; friction sounds 
can still be heard but less on account of the plastic exudate, 
which lessens the pain as well. Up to this time the animal has 
eaten practically nothing, but now he begins to eat because the 
pain is diminished. The inflammation may subside right here 
and the horse go on to rapid recovery — in 4-5 days. But if the 
case runs through the third stage, then we get an effusion of se- 
rum into the thorax. The pain grows less and the animal will 
probably lie down and eat a little. The owner thinks that the 
horse is getting better, but you can see that the eyes are brighter 
and his nostrils dilated, and the flanks begin to heave. The 
pleuritic line is lessened, and auscultation reveals increased 
respiratory sounds above the water line, and a total absence of 
sound below. The lung floats up on the surface of the water 
and works harder than usual. As the serum in the chest in- 
creases, and as the case has been running 3 or 4 days, oedema 
can be noticed on the legs as high up as the elbow. Oedematous 
thickening in the lower part of the chest between the skin and 
the ribs can be detected. This is a very valuable corroborative 
symptom. If the pleurisy is complicated with pneumonia, it is 
not easy to make a diagnosis, for tubular breathing can be heard. 
If the lungs are consolidated, they cannot float on the surface of 
the water and it is difficult to diagnose the condition. 

Some horses seem to be stronger than others and the oedema 
does not take place, but as a rule some is present. Also we get 
cedema as the result of local treatment and this must be differ- 
entiated from the pathological lesion. 

As the thoracic cavity of the animal fills up with water, no- 
tice that the nostrils are dilated, that the eyes bulge; the back 
arched; horse breathes more slowly; the expired air is cold in 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 85 

most cases ; with the ear at the nostrils a metallic tinkle can be 
heard, although this tinkle is not diagnostic. But it is not heard 
in pneumonia nor in bronchitis. It is a mucous rattle in the 
bronchi, and is very pronounced. 

As the dyspnoea increases the mucous membranes get darker 
— become cyanotic. The horse dies from asphyxia. 

Hydrothorax may be single or double the same as pleurisy. 
In the mediastinum are cribiform openings through which the 
fluid can pass from one side to the other. In many cases these 
openings become plugged up. In such a case the hydrothorax 
is confined to one side. If the water does not fill the chest more 
than one-third full, the fluid can become absorbed and the animal 
recover. If the inflammation subsides during the first half of 
the third stage the horse makes a rapid and complete recovery, 
but if the plastic exudate instead of softening forms adhesions, 
the lungs grow to the ribs. 

Symptoms of Pleural Adhesions. — After a horse has made an 
apparently good recovery and is put to work again, say he goes 
out driving, when he feels the sudden pain, stops, puts his nose 
to one side — and forgets all else. He may turn into the ditch, 
and then go on. This act is due to a stitch in his side, a dis- 
turbance of the circulation around the adhesion, and it produces 
sharp, lancinating pain. The animal does this once and then 
again. He is a good horse to get rid of. 

Treatment of Pleurisy. — If the doctor is called during the 
chill, he must treat that symptom until he can make a diagnosis 
as to whether the case is one of pneumonia, pleurisy, etc. Sup- 
pose now you have a carriage horse which has had to stand some 
time after a long drive and upon returning home and going to 
the stable he soon begins to hang his head, paws around, gets 
up and down, etc. The coachman gives him colic medicine but 
it does no good. Upon observing the respirations, you see that 
they are made with care; the animal has a temperature of 105-6; 
his pulse is 50. He has pleurisy. Adopt heroic measures to 
abort the trouble ; and pleurisy is easily aborted. Put the horse 
on acetanilid and a fever mixture containing aconite. Apply 
local stimulants — the lammioniacal .liniment, the white sprain 
liniment, or a sinapism. The value of the external stimulation 



86 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

cannot be over estimated — it's ability to abort disease. The 
liniment must be prompt in its action. By next morning the 
animal will be all right if you have aborted the case, which can 
be done 99 times out of a hundred. 

If you get a case in the second or third stage, or if your 
first case does not recover, apply a counter-irritant night and 
morning. Keep up the fever mixture with aconite to the middle 
of the third stage. Repeat the acetanilid every four hours in 
moderate doses. Keep the temperature around 102 if possible, 
but do not dose too much with acetanilid. Keep the animal 
warm, feed light, and 90 per cent of the cases will yield to this 
treatment, and recover by resolution in the first half of the third 
stage. The other per cent will go on to hydrothorax. 

In case of generalized pleurisy "sale stable fever," you may 
get a horse with hydrothorax after a three days' sickness, while 
it ordinarily takes 10-20 days for this condition to develop. 
Pleurisy runs into the third stage very rapidly, but the chest does 
not fill up with water so quickly. Do not carry the stimulation 
so far as to blemish the side of the horse, but if you do make 
this blunder, you can tell the owner that it is better to have a scar 
on the side than to have a dead horse. You can tell a blister 
by pinching the skin. If it wrinkles, a blister is there. Open 
it and liberate any pus that is present, for blemishing is always 
brought about by leaving the pus and serum there. 

While the sides of the animal are soiled with liniment, put 
a cloth over your face when you wish to auscultate. 

Suppose now that you have a case of hydrothorax. Discon- 
tinue the counter irritant and the aconite. Give stimulants — 
strychnine, alcohol, etc., alternating with tincture of iron. The 
temperature in hydrothorax stays about 104. If the chest fills 
more than one-third full of water you must tap it. This opera- 
tion is called "paracentesis thoracis." 

With trocar and canula evacuate the serum. Some prefer to 
aspirate the serum, some draw it off with a rubber tube, empty- 
ing the fluid under water. Some think that it is not safe to 
draw off the water rapidly but this is a fallacy. As a conse- 
quence none of the trocars are big enough. This one that I use 
is three-eighths of an inch in diameter and has a short point, 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 87 

which is valuable in a case of pleuro-pneumonia. The short 
point will not be so liable to puncture a solid lung (one such as 
is characteristic of pneumonia). If the lung is not involved, it 
will be floated so high in the thoracic cavity that it will be out 
of the way of the trocar. In the majority of cases tap on the 
right side between the eighth and ninth ribs. Give the animal 
one-half pint of whiskey twenty minutes before beginning to 
operate. This will prevent syncope. Never neglect this stimu- 
lant. 

Push the fingers down deep between the eighth and ninth ribs 
and in the pit that forms insert the scalpel, making an incision 
three-fourths of an inch long. After cutting through the skin, 
then go through the chest wall — go in slow. The incision should 
be made close to the anterior border of the rib. Insert the trocar 
and cannula and withdraw the trocar and the water begins to 
flow out. While it is running, if the horse shows any resistance, 
tighten the twitch on his nose — this is all the restraint that is 
necessary. If the operation is done between the seventh and 
eighth ribs, the elbow is apt to interfere, if the animal is in pain 
and restless. Remove the twitch as soon as the flow is estab- 
lished. If there is any coagulum in the fluid, keep the cannula 
pervious with a small blunt instrument. The horse will improve 
at once with this operation. 

If the cribriform openings of the mediastinum are plugged, 
you may have to tap the other side. Wait a day or two before 
performing a second operation. Do up the wound with a dry 
dressing and keep on for a few days. 

In some cases you may have to tap again, but do not operate 
in the same place; make a fresh opening. Never open up the 
old sore. 

Prognosis. — This is according to the color of the serum; if 
amber colored, it is favorable ; if red, unfavorable. 

In case of a purulent liquid, clean out the chest cavity with 
2-3 gallons of tincture of iodine — 1 per cent solution. Attach a 
rubber hose to the cannula, and run the solution (temperature 
102) into the chest from a fountain syringe. Hold there for 
10-15 minutes and then let it run out again. In the human two 



88 



THEORY AND PRACTICE 



or three openings are made and the cavity is flushed out with a 
solution of bichloride of mercury. 

Pneumothorax. — In case of puncture or wounding of the 
thoracic wall, air may get into the chest. This is dangerous and 
will kill the animal if the pressure is sufficient to interfere with 
the action of the lungs. In such a case stop up the opening as 
quickly as possible. 



RECORD OF A CASE OF PNEUMONIA. 

HISTORY. — Case of a bay horse, 8 years old. He was 
taken sick one forenoon while standing in the railroad yard 
waiting for the milk train to come in. He came down with a 
chill soon after reaching home. Dr. Baker was called to see 
him the next day (13th). 

The following is the record of his pulse, temperature and res- 
piration for the two weeks of his sickness: 



Date. Temp. 

13 End of 1st stage 104.8 

14 106.2 

15 2nd and 3rd 105.4 

16 stages 105.6 

17 4th stage begins 104.4 

18 Gray hepatization 102.6 
19 

20 102.8 

21 103.5 

22 102 

23 101.6 

24 102.2 

25 101.6 
100 



Pulse. 
60 
66 
72 
70 
68 
50 heart be- 



Resp. 

24 

30 

32 

36 Crisis 

48 passed. 

32 



gins to pound 32 

56 32 

58 - 20 Nervous 

50 32 system 

47 33 only mod- 

48 30 erately 
48 22 excited 
37 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 89 

TREATMENT. — The following was the dosage: 

Quinine % ounce 

Nux Worn 1 ounce 

Fl. Ex. Gent 1 ounce 

Glycerine 3 ounces 

Alcohol 4 ounces 

Aqua qs ad 1 pint 

M. Sig. — One dose, 2 ounces every 2 hours. Also 
give 1 dram of acetanilid every 4 hours. 

On the 23rd day the quinine was stopped and ammonium car- 
bonate (1-2 dram) was substituted for it in the mixture, the 
alcohol being lessened to 3 ounces. The acetanilid was discon- 
tinued after the fifth day. 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM. 

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 
(Horse.) 

The lips are the prehensile organs, the incisor teeth are the 
nippers. The food passes back on the tongue, and while the ani- 
mal is chewing, the salivary glands are stimulated to secrete 
enormous quantities of saliva, which is poured out partly to 
moisten the food and partly to digest it. Its digestive action is 
amylolytic, i. e., digests starch. It takes about 15 minutes for 
the saliva to act. The food is then formed into a bolus, which 
passes down the oesophagus to the stomach. 

In all monogastric animals the stomach is in a collapsed con- 
dition before eating begins ; in ruminants some food is always 
present in the stomach. In monogastrics the stomach is no 
larger than the amount of food put into it. After the food en- 
ters the stomach, the starch digestion goes on for a little time, 
and some lactic acid is formed. The presence of the food stim- 
ulates the gastric juice to flow ; this juice contains hydrochloric 
acid, and when its secretion is fully established, the starch di- 
gestion ceases. As soon as the acidulation comes up to' a cer- 
tain point, the pylorus opens and the products of digestion 
(now called chyme) pass out into the duodenum, where the bile 



90 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

and pancreatic ferments act upon it. The action of the bile is 
three- fold : 

1. Changes the acid reaction to alkaline. 

2. Emulsifies the fat. 

3. Acts as a laxative. 

The pancreatic juice contains four ferments: 

1. Amylopsin — to digest starch. 

2. Steapsin — to digest fat. 

3. Rennin — to digest milk. 

4. Trypsin — to digest proteids. 

In the duodenum the chyme is changed to chyle. 

In the intestine the food meets with succus intericus, which 
Pawlow calls the "juice of juices." The food is absorbed by 
the villi of the small intestine. In the villi are the small lym- 
phatics which take in the chyle, carrying it to the receptaculum 
chyli and from there on through the thoracic duct to the heart; 
the villus capillaries absorb the other products of digestion and 
carry them to the liver. 

The stomach is the fountain of health; if in good condition 
the animal is well. In man indigestion is the main factor caus- 
ing disease and this is also true in the other animals. The food 
is either too bulky, or too concentrated ; too rich or too poor ; too 
wet or too dry; contains too much indigestible matter or not 
enough of it ; the animal is either over-fed or not fed enough ; 
he is fed at too long intervals or irregularly. 

As regards the tendency of digestive organs to develop dis- 
ease, this depends largely upon the parts of the digestive system 
most often in use: such parts will be most abused. In the horse 
the food is a short time in the stomach and a long time in the 
bowels. Consequently the horse has less disturbance in the stom- 
ach than in the bowels — diseases of the bowels are common. In 
ruminants the reverse conditions attain diseases of the stom- 
ach are common and rare in the bowels. 

The horse, not being a ruminant, should eat slowly and mas- 
ticate his food thoroughly. It is important that the amylopsis 
in the mouth should be complete. Many diseases come from 
bolting the food. Sometimes it is difficult to prevent bolting. 
Too concentrated food produces diseases of the stomach; too 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 91 

bulky food, diseases of the bowels. It is a recognized fact that 
wholly digestible food produces paralysis of the stomach. For 
this reason it is not a good plan to feed a horse on flour: the 
stomach requires the cellulose covering of the grain to irritate 
its glands. Nature provides this indigestible matter for an ir- 
ritating factor and consequently the stomach will not work on 
too concentrated food. If such is given, the germs present in 
the stomach take advantage of its inertia and set up a fermenta- 
tion which leads to gastric flatulence and possibly rupture. On 
this account some object to cooking the food, but this does no 
harm if plenty of indigestible stuff is given too. Suppose you 
scald the oats, this makes them easier to digest and also renders 
part of the cellulose digestible as well; but you cannot feed the 
horse the rolled oats which people eat, for it is too concentrated. 

Do not clip the oats for the horse, he needs the hull as an 
irritant. Clipped oats make work for the veterinarian. 

Barley, wheat or other heavy grain is too concentrated food 
— it has not enough indigestible cellulose. The horse needs hay. 
Without it the stomach will not work. 

PHENOMENA OF THE DIGESTIVE DISEASES. 

The phenomena of Digestive Diseases are fewer than those 
of the respiratory system but these phenomena are well marked, 
They are as follows : 

1. Flatulence. 

2. Colicky pains. 

3. Turning up of the upper lip — expres- 

sion of nausea. The horse stands 
still, suddenly stops eating and then 
turns up his upper lip. The only ex- 
ception to this being an evidence of 
nausea is in the case of a stallion 
teasing a mare. 

4. Constipation — pellets hard, small, 

scanty, or wholly absent. 

5. Diarrhoea. 



92 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

DISEASES OF THE MOUTH. 

CONGESTION OF THE BUCCAL MEMBRANE. 

Definition. — This condition is a congestion of the mucous lin- 
ing of the mouth. It occurs in young animals during teething. 
When a temporary tooth drops out and a permanent one comes 
in its place, this produces a circulatory disturbance. The buccal 
membrane may also become congested as the result of gastric in- 
digestion. 

"Lampas" is really an imaginary disease. It is nothing but 
the congestion of the bars of the mouth. The bars hang down 
usually on a level with the upper incisors, sometimes below in 
old horses. Disease of the bars never occurs except in punct- 
ure or injury. If a horse does not eat, a quack may be called to 
look into his mouth ; he sees the bars projecting down, and as a 
bluff he says its the "lampas." Or the horse falls into the hands 
of some horse-shoer, who says that the bars must be turned out. 
This is cruelty to animals. The bars in a horse's mouth are for 
the purpose of keeping the oats inside the mouth while being 
chewed. 

You cannot ignore the owner's diagnosis of "lampas." Take 
your knife and scarify the first bar about 1-3 of an inch deep. 
Then give the animal a mouth lotion, bicarbonate of soda, or 
borax and charge your client $2.00! If your client will permit 
you, examine the animal further to rind the reason of his not 
eating. 

Dentition and indigestion are the two main causes of sore 
mouth. In children, puppies and pigs, convulsions may occur 
as a result of the nervous disturbance accompanying the erup- 
tion oi a tooth. This can be relieved by scarifying the gum. 

Hemorrhage of the Palatine Artery. — The palatine artery is 
often wounded by empirics who try to scarify the bars in case of 
the so-called lampas. The tissues around the artery are very 
firm and do not contract down upon it when wounded as with 
other vessels. When such a condition falls into your hands, put 
on your overalls and gown, for the blood will spurt and pour out 
profusely. Take a tightly rolled wad of a substance like oak- 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 93 

um or cotton (about the size of a goose egg) ; dip the end of the 
wad in Munsen's solution of iron and apply it to the roof of the 
mouth. Holding up the upper lip, wind the oakum tightly to the 
incisors 6 or 8 times, and then leave it alone. It will be all right 
the next day. Give the owner a lotion to wash out this horse's 
mouth and charge him a good fee ! 

Do not embarrass the horseshoer by running down his work 
before the owner. As far as possible protect the horseshoers. 

STOMATITIS. 

Stomatitis runs a course through three kinds of inflammation : 
(1) Catarrhal (2) Vesicular and (3) Pustular. Further we 
recognize two kinds, the contagious and non-contagious. 

Etiology. — The contagious form of stomatitis is produced by 
some specific germ, which as yet we do not know. The non- 
contagious is often due to indigestion ; it sometimes occurs 
through local injuries and infection of wounds. Very fortu- 
nately for all animals the infection of the mouth wounds is not 
common. The wounds are common but their infection is not. 
The salivary wash of the mouth is one continual disinfectant ; the 
saliva washes the germs away and bathes the wounds. 

Semeiology. — We see stomatitis in foals and in calves from 
too much nursing. The foam at the side of the mouth of a lit- 
tle calf, when in excess, produces sore mouth. This is "baby's 
thrush." A little gastric indigestion may accentuate it. Acari 
may infect these sore places. The form seen in foals is the ca- 
tarrhal form. It will show itself in deep red patches, on which 
a bran-life scurf will form. This is coagulated mucous, a plastic 
exudate, and it soon gets fetid. The feter is due to the degen- 
erated mucous. In a bad case these patches extend and coal- 
esce so that the whole lining of the cheek may be involved, even 
that of the lips and the frenum lingui. The roof is not often af- 
fected. The catarrhal form occurs later in the fall — the lips 
of the horse get chilled when he is grazing on the frozen grass 
in the late fall much worse than in winter. 

In the vesicular form of stomatitis the patches are covered 
with little vesicles. These vesicles are probably due to indiges- 



94 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

tion ; they are little cankers, coming up first as vesicles then dis- 
charging and ulcerating. The pustular form may follow the 
vesicular. 

The technical name of the pustular form of stomatitis has 
been given by Prof. Williams as Stomatitis pnstulosa contagiosa. 
It has an incubation of about 3 days. It will likely show as a 
profuse eruption on the lower lip, sometimes extending around 
on the outside of the lips even to the outside of the cheeks, down 
the shoulders and breast to the hoofs. The specific germ has 
never been found. The course and termination are the same as 
equine variola, which in my opinion is the same disease. Horse 
pox is very contagious to other animals and to people. Never 
give a horse a ball or do dentistry on him without examining his 
mouth for contagious stomatitis. If the saliva from such a case 
drys on your hands, they will become inoculated with infection. 
If this does occur, soak the hands in a 5 per cent solution of 
formaldehyde. 

Treatment. — In the non-contagious form the first thing to do 
is to remove the cause. Change the diet of the animal if neces- 
sary. If the disease occurs in a nursing animal, do not let him 
nurse continually. Separate him from his mother. Wash the 
udder and teats with borax and also the mouth of the foal. In 
adult horses nothing is better than borax. 

As to the contagious form isolate the animal. It is no use 
to take him out of the stall, you must isolate the stall. If the 
partitions are board, they are all right, but if wire, board ones 
must be put up. Put ropes or chains behind the horse to keep 
him in. However, he can be used in single harness if he is not 
tied to a post or watered at a public watering trough. If his 
bit is used for other horses it must be disinfected. The inflam- 
mation must run its course but chlorate of potash, a saturated 
solution, will help. 

GLOSSITIS. 

Definition. — This is an inflammation of the muscular sub- 
stance of the tongue. It is usually due to local injury. It may be 
produced by scalding doses. A puncture produces an inflamma- 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 95 

tion of the intimate lingual structure, but the scalding dose pro- 
duces also a catarrhal inflammation of the mucosa. 

Cause. — The cause is invariably due to local injury. In cat- 
tle it may take on the form of actinomycosis, tuberculosis, etc. 
The horse is not often affected with actinomycosis and tubercu- 
losis is rare. 

In glossitis the tongue swells and protrudes between the in- 
cisor teeth. The mouth hangs open and the tongue hangs out. 
Deglutition is difficult ; the horse is unable to eat and he may be 
unable to drink. Constitutional disturbances may occur. 

Treatment. — Ascertain the cause and remove any foreign 
body. If a puncture is present, follow it to the bottom with a 
probe-pointed bistury and enlarge the opening. Irrigate well 
with an antiseptic ; if a large wound, bathe with an antiseptic so- 
lution. Use water as warm as the horse can stand, carbolized 1 
per cent or a 10 per cent solution of boracic acid or a saturated 
solution of chlorate of potash. If the swelling does not yield 
promptly, scarify the tongue on the side an inch long and 1-4 inch 
deep. Bathe the tongue with water 102-3 degrees F. to promote 
bleeding and then go on using the antiseptic solution. If the 
mouth gets foul, sponge out twice daily with permanganate of 
potash. 

If the tongue is injured by getting caught in a halter chain, 
and is torn, say three-fourths off, amputate the balance. You can- 
not get union between incised or lacerated surfaces in the mouth. 
In examining a horse for soundness, always examine the tongue. 
A horse with a short tongue is damaged and he cannot feed so 
well. 

PAROTIDITIS. 

Parotiditis is the inflammation of the parotid gland. It is 
usually acute and it usually goes on to suppuration, forming one 
large abscess or two or more small ones. The cause may be 
influenza or strangles, or some other blood contamination. It 
may be due to> local injury. In my experience the disease oc- 
curs without any ascertainable cause. 

Symptoms. — The parotid gland swells and is very sore; the 



96 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

nose is poked out ; deglutition is difficult ; neck stiff ; and it is 
hard for the animal to eat. The abscess is likely to be deep- 
seated, and will take a long time to rupture spontaneously. Con- 
sequently we do' not wait but open it up. Small superficial ab- 
scesses may rupture of their own accord. 

Treatment. — Hot poultices are easier than applications of hot 
water. If you set a man to bathing a part with hot water, he 
in inclined to get tired and stop before he has accomplished any 
good results. A hot linseed poultice will soften the abscesses 
and about the fifth day it can be opened and the pus let out. 
Into the cavity inject an antiseptic solution, then insert a little 
pledget of gauze and poultice some more to soften the inflamed 
swelling. If a poultice is properly made with boiling water, it 
must be pretty nearly sterile. You never get any infection from 
a poultice, if properly made. 

Usually the salivary discharge from the gland is increased and 
a salivary fistula will follow. This discharge is clear and odor- 
less. Insert a probe-pointed bistury into the fistula, enlarge the 
opening slightly — to about 1-4 inch in diameter — and inject 
tincture of iodine full strength. A single dose ought to cure. 
If not, repeat about once in every ten days. 

PTYALISM. 

Ptyalism is an increased flow of saliva. This cannot be 
considered a disease but is a symptom of some other trouble. 
Ptyalism accompanies many diseases, such as sore throat, te- 
tanus, sore mouth, etc. As a rule it may be said that any in- 
flammation near the salivary gland will increase the secretion of 
saliva. 

Treatment. — The most effectual treatment is to remove the 
cause. When the horse slobbers too freely while in harness or 
while eating, there is something wrong with his mouth — either 
the bit irritates him and causes soreness or his teeth are too 
sharp and the bit pulls the cheek against the sharp corners of the 
upper molars. It is not at all uncommon for a horse to foam at 
the mouth a good deal while driving. This, of course, is disa- 
greeable and looks bad. When the veterinarian is consulted he 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 97 

naturally expects to find something wrong with the mouth. We 
usually find that the bar of the curb bit (the usual bit for coach 
horses in order to give them proud carriage) does not fit the 
mouth or jaw; and for that very purpose, to make the horse 
prance and make him showy, the coachman has the lines buckled 
down in the curb and touches him up with' the whip. Occasion- 
ally the horse gets crazy, especially a young horse, under such 
irritating conditions. The horse pulls hard on the bit, and the 
bar bit with the chain underneath is brought back against the 
sharp edge of the jaw, it cuts through the tissues, and injures the 
bone. The contused bone dies and sloughs off. This condition 
makes a very sore mouth, therefore always look for the cause. 

The horse that slobbers too freely while eating cannot be 
cured unless you can find some mechanical cause, as the sharp 
molars. If you do, round them off, especially the front molars 
where the bit pulls against them. It may be necessary to change 
the bit for a time ; get a bit that will bring pressure on the sides 
of the bone instead of on the bar. Recommend a chain bit cov- 
ered with leather or rubber. A straight bar bit is an abomina- 
tion in a horse's mouth, such a bit should never be used. 

SALIVARY FISTULA. 

The duct of Steno carries the saliva from the parotid gland to 
the mouth, passing down on the inside of the lower jaw, round- 
ing the bone to the outside of it and passes upward on the edge 
of the masseter muscle and empties into the mouth opposite the 
third upper molar. In a fistula this duct becomes opened — it is 
difficult to say exactly what does open it, but it is so exposed to 
injury by blows of various kinds — from kicks, from rubbing on 
the manger, etc., that it is probably opened in this way. 

Treatment. — Establish an opening between the fistula and the 
mouth through the natural passage. To do this pass a stiff 
silver-plated probe, a small one first to establish the opening 
into the mouth, then use a larger one. By increasing the size 
of the probe in the course of four or 'five days you will be able 
to pass a sound which is at least a quarter of an inch in diameter. 
Then put a speculum into the mouth, but do not open too wide; 



98 



THEORY AND PRACTICE 



pass the hand into the mouth with the front of the hand against 
the cheek and feel the probe as it comes up. 

Suppose the accident came from the kick of another horse on 
the cheek. The main damage, was a bruise on the jaw bone. 
This resulted in inflammation, exudation, organization and final- 
ly complete obliteration of the duct. This is frequently the case. 
We find that the organized lymph is not as tough as the wall of 
the tube and with pressure you can work an opening through 
into the mouth, a small one anyway. Take a brass or silver 
probe and run a piece of tape through the eye of it, drawing it 
into the mouth from the outside. Leave it there three days, then 
remove it and syringe it out. Clean the outer surface around 
the opening, scarify the edges of the fistula freely and trim it 
out to make a raw edge. Put a continuous suture around the 
opening and draw it up like a draw-string, using a solution of 
collodion to wash it. Do not give the horse anything to eat ; tie 
his head up for about three days and give him plenty of water. 
This reduces to the maximum the secretion of saliva. After 
three days give him a little fine hay, letting him eat it off the 
floor. While he is eating the saliva will run out through the 
mouth. If this treatment does not succeed, then put on a fly 
blister. This stimulation will produce a local inflammation and 
increase the repairing process. Repeat if not successful the first 
time. Some surgeons recommend to destroy the parotid gland 
in bad cases, but this cannot be condemned too strongly. It is 
very painful and produces very unsatisfactory results. 

SALIVARY CALCULI. 

Salivary calculi are calcareous concretions which are found 
usually in the duct of Steno on the broad side of the cheek about 
opposite the lower molars. Probably every calculus has a nucle- 
us, some foreign body which has worked itself into the duct of 
Steno through the mouth. It may be a little piece of barley or 
a wheat beard, hull of oats, buckwheat, etc. If this happens it 
seems never to get out and produces a little local irritation, 
enough to change the character of the secretion in the duct. The 
salivary salts accummulate around and on the body and finally 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 99 

the calculus is formed. These calculi are heavier than those 
of any other part of the body. Their increased density is due 
to phosphate of lime. Also they are slow-forming calculi. They 
often obstruct the duct to a considerable degree and the part of 
it nearest the gland becomes distended. 

Treatment. — Remove the calculus by the aid of the knife, 
always operating through the mouth, never through the skin. 
Probably no after-treatment will be required. Sponge the 
wound three or four times a day with a solution of borax and 
impress upon the owner that it is a serious case ; it is, however, 
a simple one ! 

DISEASES OF THE THROAT. 

PHARYNGITIS. 

Pharyngitis is an acute inflammation of the pharynx. It is 
a catarrhal inflammation. Many cases of sore throat are cases 
of pharyngitis. Usually a combination of laryngitis exists with 
the pharyngeal inflammation, but either may exist alone. 

Etiology. — Pharyngitis may come on with sudden exposure to 
cold and dampness. It may be caused by foreign bodies, acrid 
substances in the food or medicine, etc. Sometimes the inflam- 
mation is so severe as to produce a post-pharyngeal abscess. 

Semeiology. — The symptoms run as follows : 

1. Difficult swallowing. 

2. Possibly a little fever. 

3. Respirations normal. 

The symptoms in pharyngitis are much the same as those of 
laryngopharyngitis. 

Treatment. — In this condition counter-irritation is indicated. 
Give anodine or a stringent medicine with a syringe. Either 
give an electuary on wooden spatula or the iron gargle with a 
syringe. Never drench a horse in case of pharyngitis. The iron 
gargle is good. It consists of tincture of iron one ounce and 
chlorate of potash % ounce to the pint of water. The dose is 
2 ounces. 



100 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

DISEASES OF THE OESOPHAGUS. 

OESOPHAGITIS. 

Oesophagitis is the inflammation of the oesophagus. 

Etiology. — This condition is caused by an extension of in- 
flammation from other parts; by the scalding of the mucosa 
with caustic drenches ; by external injury, kicks, etc. 

Semeiology. — The symptoms may show a rise of tempera- 
ture; difficulty in swallowing is present; disinclination to' eat. 

Treatment. — In an ordinary simple case if you remove the 
cause, the animal will recover. Give a little antiseptic medicine. 
A solution of borax, bicarbonate of soda, a mild dose of per- 
manganate of potash, etc., are good antiseptics. 

Sequelae. — Stricture of the oesophagus may follow its in- 
flammation. The result is a thickening of the wall with a lessen- 
ing of the lumen, which in bad cases may amount to> stenosis. 
The wall may be thickened 3-5 times and the lumen not more 
than 1/2 inch in diameter. The animal cannot swallow. Even 
if the lumen is an inch in diameter, the food will go down with 
difficulty, although water may be swallowed easily. The food 
accumulates above the stricture and this occasions frequent chok- 
ing. 

Treatment. — Sloppy food or milk is indicated. Take away 
the solid food. The stricture and dilatation are incurable, and 
they occur oftener than we imagine. 

In case of oesophagitis from local injury, there is more jr 
less enlargement in the outside tissues and this causes choke. 
If the tissues of the oesophageal wall are not destroyed, the 
case will reeover. Injuries from a kick may press the oesophagus 
against the vertebrae and actually destroy the tissues of the wall 
without even wounding the overlying skin. Eventually an ellip- 
tical slough may occur; the surrounding tissues swell and become 
doughy. Open up the tissues over the wound and if such is the 
case, destroy the animal. But if the wall of the oesophagus is 
only wounded, sew up the lacerated edges, turning them in to- 
ward the lumen of the oesophagus. If they are left out, they 
will not adhere. Openings into the oesophagus are usually fatal. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 101 

Following the operation, keep the animal's head up for a time 
and feed him on milk and water. 

OESOPHAGISMUS'. 

Oesophagismus is a spasmodic condition of the oesophagus. 
It is a functional condition purely nervous. You can see the 
effects, but you cannot foresee the condition. Usually the spasms 
subside after a few minutes. 

It is caused by something being swallowed that irritates the 
nerves, and produces spasmodic contraction upon the bolus. In 
view of this never give a dry ball, always wet it. 

In order to remove the obstruction put the fingers at the bot- 
tom below it and move it up towards the mouth. If the obstruc- 
tion will not dislodge, you may have a case of choke. 

Sometimes coachmen get the idea that raw eggs will make 
the horse's coat glossy. They even send them down whole, shell 
and all. This frequently causes choke. Oesophagismus is a 
symptom of choke. But if the cause of the irritation is in the 
thorax, there will be little eating and then vomition. The food 
may be streaked with blood. 

Treatment. — Give a liberal dose of morphine. This blunts 
the nerves. When the animal is thoroughly under the influence 
of the drug, then give two or three doses of cottonseed oil. If 
the oesophagus does not relax, the animal will regurgitate the 
contents of the oesophagus. Then pass a probe and push the 
obstruction on into the stomach. Do not wait until the inflam- 
mation starts up before doing this. 

CHOKING. 

Definition.— Choking is obstructed deglutition by the inter- 
rupted passage of any substance from the mouth to the stomach. 
The regions of choke are divided into three sections, cervical, 
thoracic and cardiac. 

Etiology.— Horses may choke on dry feed. They are raven- 
ous eaters— they bolt their food without proper insalivation. 
Cows usually choke on pieces of apples, potatoes, carrots, sec- 



102 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

tions of turnips, etc. If the cutter is out of order, the food will 
be imperfectly cut up and the large pieces will cause choke. 
Cows will choke on apples which they have picked up from the 
ground. Cows which are giving milk are inclined to chew bones 
and linen garments, — I have known them to chew up a whole 
washing and get choked ! Dogs usually choke on spools, needles, 
hatpins, etc. Cats the same. Sheep and pigs seldom choke — 
they are not so ravenous. Poultry fed once a day and then given 
meal will eat too fast and choke. Horses occasionally choke on 
solid substances. 

Semeiology. — The horse quits eating and makes spasmodic 
but ineffectual efforts to swallow. He becomes restless, moves 
back and forth ; has an anxious countenance, etc. Nothing can 
produce more nervous excitement than a choke. In the course 
of a few hours the obstructed oesophagus produces nausea — 
animal will stretch his neck and he gets spasmodic cramps of the 
cervical and pectoral muscles. These draw their heads toward 
their knees. This is seen also in gastric indigestion. It is simply 
a diagnostic symptom of nausea, and may be so severe as to 
cause the horse to shriek with pain. These cramps are called 
retching or ineffectual attempts to vomit. 

If the choke is a cervical one there will be an enlargement 
along the course of the oesophagus on the left side of the neck 
about the first rib. In dogs, cats and chickens the choke is cer- 
vical ; in cattle the choke is often thoracic ; in the horse and in 
cattle the choke may be at the cardiac opening. The symptoms 
of thoracic choke are much the same as in the cervical but the 
nausea is more marked. The horse fills up his oesophagus to the 
obstruction and then throws out the food again. He throws it 
out through the nose. This is an act of vomition and there is 
also reverse peristalsis. In cardiac choke the obstruction cannot 
be seen until the oesophagus becomes filled, and then the obstruc- 
tion is seen in the cervical region. 

In cattle any choke leads to tympanitis of the rumen, There 
is a great slavering of the mouth, present in all animals, however. 
Dogs, cats and people have violent fits of coughing, but not the 
horse. If the choke is not removed, it acts as an irritant and 
produces Inflammation running through the $rst and secon4 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 103 

courses and terminates in gangrene. The animal dies from sep- 
ticaemia. 

As regards the horse the conditions producing choke are as 
follows : 

1. Oesophagismus. 

2. Oesophagitis — especially a factor 

when ,the inflammation runs to ulcera- 
tion. 

3. Organic diseases of the gullet in the 

form of a stricture, frequently fol- 
lowing oesophagitis. 

4. Diseases of the salivary glands, by 

which the quantity of saliva is dimin- 
ished. It is impossible for the food 
to go down the oesophagus without 
being thoroughly insalivated. 

5. Voracious appetite— the horse bolts his 

food and it enters the oesophagus dry. 
Deranged or decayed teeth interfere 
with mastication. 

Treatment. — The first thing to do is to give a hypodermic in- 
jection of morphine — 4 grains. As a rule it is impossible to 
move obstructions downward, but they can be moved upward. 
Give an internal dose of cotton seed oil (about 2 ounces) with a 
syringe. Then manipulate the obstruction rubbing toward the 
throat. The animal will throw out the oil, and then give another 
dose and repeat. You can put a hose through the nose of the 
horse and turn the water on, thus washing out the obstruction at 
times. This surgical operation includes exposing the oesophagus 
and passing a ligature around it with the stomach tube inserted 
to prevent the ingesta from falling into the larynx. Before at- 
tempting this operation read up on it. 

Cattle often choke in the cardiac region. The proper thing 
to do is to place a speculum in the mouth (in case the choke is 
in the cervical region) and let some one press upwards beneath 
the obstruction, while a small hand goes in and gets it. Or a 
probe can be passed and push it down into the stomach. 



104 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

In severe cases of tympanitis accompanying choke in cattle 
you may have to tap the rumen. 

In choke in dogs and cats, hold the mouth open and go after 
the obstruction with a pair of forceps. 

In the chicken give them a dish of water and they will help 
themselves. 

ORGANIC DISEASES OF THE OESOPHAGUS. 

An organic disease, of the oesophagus is the change in struct- 
ure of the wall caused by a stricture. The causes of a stricture 
are: 

1. Irritation. 

2. Congestion. 

3. Inflammation. 

4. Organization. 

These changes occurring in the wall lessens its tube lumen, 
thickens the wall, and destroys its dilatibility. Immediately an- 
terior to the stricture there will be a dilatation ; the older the case 
the larger this will be. In connection with the stricture is more 
or less degeneration of tissue. 

Symptoms. — There are frequent choking, slow deglutition, 
contents of the dilatation frequently thrown out and occasionally 
streaked with blood. 

Prognosis. — The prognosis is unfavorable because you canr 
not dilate the stricture nor reduce the dilatation. The ultimate 
end is oesophagitis with a choke that cannot be removed. 

Treatment. — Drench the animal with small doses of some- 
thing that will tend to cure the inflammation — saturated solution 
of borax, chlorate of potash or sodium bicarbonate. These 
should be given several times a day. Give the animal sloppy 
food and compel him to eat slowly. 

In order to make a horse eat slowly put stones in his feed 
box, and these will hinder him from getting his food so fast. If 
this fails there are patent boxes which can be used for this pur- 
pose. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 105 

DISEASES OF THE STOMACH. 

VOMITION. 

Vomition is called emesis or vomiting. The emetic center is 
in the medulla. Something disturbs this center, and the reflex 
action of the disturbance is transmitted to the stomach. The 
symptoms of vomiting are : 

1. Depression. 

2. Turning up of the upper lip. 

3. Abhorrence of food. The nausea in- 

creases until we get a reflex peris- 
talsis of the stomach, duodenum and 
sometimes of more of the small in- 
testines. 
The act of vomiting is as follows : 

1. Deep inspiration. 

2. Glottis fixed. 

3. Spasmodic forcible contraction of the 

abdominal muscles. 

4. Food thrown out through the nose. 

5. Mouth in all animals except the horse 

wide open. 

The stomach cannot empty itself without the aid of the 
abdominal muscles. 

Horses do not vomit except under peculiar conditions; carn- 
ivora vomit easily; omnivora comparatively so; and herbivora 
with great difficulty. Cattle do not vomit because the rumen is 
large and comparatively insensible. As a whole the ox is phleg- 
matic. Horses vomit with difficulty on account of the shape of 
their stomach. At the oesophageal entrance there is a fold of 
mucous membrane which acts as a valve and serves to keep the 
food from going back toward the mouth. Except in case of a 
distended stomach vomition cannot occur. It is usually accom- 
panied with gas. There are four conditions under which a horse 
vomits : 

1. Stomach distended with gas and food 
mostly liquid. 



106 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

2. Organic disease of the oesophagus with 

a dilatation of the cardiac opening. 

3. Rupture either partial or complete of 

the walls of the stomach. The rupt- 
ure may be 2-4 inches long; if it is 
very long, the horse cannot vomit. 

4. Closure of the pyloric orifice by a 

plug of indigestible food which pre- 
vents the food from passing out into 
the duodenum. 
In case of distention the greater curvature will be the most 
distended and rupture will occur here. 

INDIGESTION. 

Indigestion occurs in all animals. It is a functional disturb- 
ance. It is named gastric or intestinal according to its location. 
The gastric form occurs in three degrees of severity: 

1. Acute. 

2. Subacute. 

3. Chronic. 

Under the head of acute indigestion we have two or three 
different conditions : 

1. Engorgement of the stomach. 

2. Stomach staggers. 

3. Gastric flatulence. 

Acute gastric indigestion usually comes on suddenly. It is 
always a serious affection, often producing death either by (1) 
exhaustion or collapse, (2) asphyxia, (3) rupture of the stom- 
ach, or (4) gastritis. 

Etiology.— The chief causes are overloading the stomach, 
eating too fast, insufficient mastication, insufficient insalivation, 
eating when physically exhausted, and improper food, especially 
that not assimilable by the animal. The insalivation is very 
important because it produces amylopsis. Eating when physically 
exhausted is probably the main cause of indigestion — the horse 
will eat too fast and the stomach, being depressed, will not act. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 107 

Do not give a tired horse oats. Let him eat hay for a half hour 
and then give him the oats. Too much bulk (if very indigestible 
or too concentrated) will cause gastric flatulence. 

Symptoms. — Suppose we have a case of gastric flatulence 
from bolting the food. The following are the symptoms : 

1. Restlessness — the horse lies down, gets 

up soon, turns around ; the worse he 
gets, the shorter time he lies down. 
When tympanitis is present, he can- 
not lie down. 

2. Mild colicky pains. 

3. Animal looks around, most often to the 

left. 

4. Trunk more or less distended. Flanks 

fuller than normal, but not very 
tympanitic. The distension is more 
under the ribs. In intestinal flatu- 
lence the distension is more in the 
flanks. 

5. Horse sweats. 

6. Eructations — positive evidence of gas- 

tric flatulence. It is accompanied by 
more or less sound, which may be so 
slight that you cannot hear it without 
putting the ear to the neck. These 
eructations give the animal great re- 
lief, but all cases do not eructate. 

7. Nausea— retching and painful vomition, 

especially in the horse. As a symp- 
tom of the retching we get a spas- 
modic contraction of the muscles of 
the neck and breast the same as in 
choke. Retching is a painful effort 
to vomit without succeeding. 

8. Rapidly developing pervous prostration. 

9. Rapid breathing. 
10. Expired air cold. 



108 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

11. Nostrils dilated. 

12. Mucous membranes cyanotic. 

13. Pulse rapid, small, weak and hard. 

In a mild case that recovers the fermentation will stop. In 
fatal cases the horse most commonly dies from syncope — a result 
of the great nervous prostration, which is produced largely by 
the pressure upon the diaphragm, and the animal finally dies from 
collapse. Death occurs usually from 10-30 hours. The next 
most common cause of death is asphyxia. The tympanitis is so 
great and the gas cannot escape because of the cardiac fold of 
the stomach or of the pyloric end folding upon the duodenum. 
In such a case the pressure upon the diaphragm is so severe that 
it interferes with the action of the heart and lungs. The animal 
may die in 20 minutes, usually, however, in one or two hours. 
The third cause of death may be rupture of the stomach, which 
may take place in 4-5 hours. If the case runs on for 3-4 days, 
and the horse does not die from any of the causes just men- 
tioned, congestion and inflammation may result and the case 
turn into one of gastritis. Death from gastritis can occur in 1-6 
days. 

Great flatulence produces anaemia of the walls of the stomach 
and prostration of the vaso-motor system, and as the flatulence 
subsides, the atonic blood vessels fill with blood and become con- 
gested. Then inflammation follows. 

14. The appetite is suspended. 

15. Temperature not so much affected until 

gastritis sets in. Then there will be 

an elevation of temperature. 
Treatment. — This must be directed' toward the arrest of the 
fermentation, which is always present. The cases are always 
urgent. Give drugs that will arrest the fermentation without 
producing more gas. The acid to be combated is acetic acid, 
not hydrochloric. Neutral salts are indicated, — hyposulphite of 
soda — the sulphate is most popular and very effectual. Others 
are sulphite of lime, magnesium sulphate. Such antiseptics as 
turpentine, boracic acid, salicylic acid, cresylic acid, coal tar 
emulsion, etc., are good. Carbolic acid also. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 109 

The contra-indications are these: 

1. The antacids. 

2. Carbonates and bicarbonates. 

If the carbonates are used in this condition, more gas is pro- 
duced by the chemical action of the combination of the drugs in 
the stomach, and therefore those who recommend them are 
wrong. On the other hand, the neutral salts tend to liquefy the 
gas already there. 

In every bad case of gastric flatulence it is a good plan to 
pass a stomach tube. This opens the cardiac orifice and gives 
relief. The antiseptics can be pumped through the tube and 
then syphoned out again — this empties the stomach. After 
emptying the stomach, pump into it a couple of gallons of water 
with a little common salt dissolved in it, then syphon it out and 
repeat if necessary. Turpentine is usually given in capsules, 
may be given with oil. If the mouth is dry, the pure turpentine 
will scald it. When mixing the turpentine with oil, use 
equal parts. Bear in mind the nervous prostration and give 
a stimulant, such as sulphuric ether, alcohol, capsicum, ginger, 
strychnine, etc. In order to relieve the pain give an anodine — 
fluid extract cannabis indica, chloral hydrate, and sulphuric ether. 
Do not give opium, but a hypodermic of morphine, 4-5 grains 
may be given. 

When the horse is relieved, feed on very light sloppy food 
to avoid gastritis, for this is usually fatal in the horse. Find 
out the cause if possible, make him eat slower, file his teeth, 
give feeding of hay before the oats. 

ACUTE GASTRIC IMPACTION. 

'This condition is an impaction of the stomach, producing 
stupor ; it is ordinarily known as stomach staggers. In such 
a case the horse gets loose in the night and gets at the grain or 
bags of flour and loads his stomach with solid food. When the 
stomach becomes filled in this way, it becomes paralyzed. The 
horse is in a stupor, he hangs his head, doops his ears, partly 
closes his eyes, stands with his face against the wall, and in- 
clines his body forward. If the condition comes on when the 



1 10 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

horse is out doors, he will probably stagger along. This usually 
lasts several hours, or until fermentation of the mass in the stom- 
ach takes place, with evolution of gas. Then the animal wakes, 
bloats, and unless he gets prompt relief, will die. It then turns 
into gastric flatulence. 

Treatment. — The doctor will probably be called during the 
stage of stupor, as that is the main evidence to the owner that 
his animal is sick. Bear in mind that the horse is loaded with 
grain sufficient to kill him. Drench him carefully with quanti- 
ties of saturated solution of sodium sulphate, magnesium sul- 
phate, or good liberal doses of turpentine. Give two ounces of 
turpentine every hour, until you have given two or three doses. 
A little renal congestion may follow so much turpentine, or poly- 
uria, and possibly strangury, but these symptoms are harmless. 
The purpose of this treatment is to prevent fermentation and to 
dilute the contents of the stomach. After the danger is passed, 
give the horse a dose of aloes in solution. A case of this kind is 
always serious and sometimes fatal. Prevent if possible fer- 
mentation. Give liberal doses of antiferments, and then pro- 
duce purgation. If this line of treatment fails to cure, use the 
stomach tube as directed for gastric flatulence. 

CHRONIC GASTRIC INDIGESTION. 

This corresponds to dyspepsia in the human. It is funda- 
mentally a derangement of the stomach in which digestion is im- 
perfectly performed. It is not dangerous nor even serious but 
it takes a long time to cure. 

Etiology. — Chronic gastric indigestion is usually caused by: 

1. Errors in diet. 

2. Faulty gastric secretions. 

3. Abnormalities affecting the movements 

of the stomach. 

The errors in diet include irregular feeding, too long contin- 
uation of one kind of food, bad quality of food, like musty oats, 
over-ripe hay or moldy grain. 

Faulty secretions are usually seen in case of deficiency in se- 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. Ill 

cretion of the hyrochloric acid, or a deficiency of the gastric juice, 
in which case the quantity of pepsin will be diminished also. 

The abnormalities are the chronic thickening of a portion or 
portions of the stomach wall ; chronic thickening of the pylorus, or 
chronic dilatation of the cardiac orifice of the oesophagus. 

Semeiology. — The symptoms consist of the following: 

1. Capricious appetite — animal sometimes 

very hungry and at other times will 
not eat at all. 

2. Horse inclined to lick the wall for the 

lime and other alkalies ; will eat dirt, 
especially clay, sometimes eats the 
bedding that has been urinated upon 
in preference to good hay. Young 
stallions will sometimes defecate and 
turn around and eat it. 

3. Occasional mild attacks of gastric flat- 

ulence, the only evidence of which 
are sour eructations. 

4. Excessive thirst — quite common, ani- 

mal will drink a great deal of water 
will try to empty the trough. 

5. Polyuria, a result of so much drinking. 

Often this is the symptom noticed by 
the owner which induces him to call 
the doctor. When he arrives, he is 
told that the horse is flooding the 
barn. The urine is clear, and there 
is much of it. 

6. Unthriftiness, staring coat, thinness of 

flesh, pot belly, debility, etc. Animal 
may become hide bound. 

7. Feces usually dry. 

8. Pulse, temperature and respirations 

unchanged. 
Treatment. — Give the animal a complete change if food if 
possible — grass in season, and change the hay from timothy to 
prairie. If this is not possible, use any mixed hay containing 



112 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

timothy, clover and red-top. Early cut timothy will do. Crush 
the grain for a change and add at least 25 per cent bran to the 
mass. Salt the feed with common salt. 

Give antacids and an occasional laxative such as a pint of raw 
linseed oil. The best antacid is bicarbonate of soda. For the 
digestive apparatus prescribe arsenic, gentian, nux vomica, gin- 
ger, charcoal, etc. The antacids have a peculiar physiological in- 
fluence upon the hydrochloric acid secretion of the stomach 
glands. 

If the flatulence occurs within two hours after eating; there 
is a dericiency of the hydrochloric acid, and in this case give the 
hydrochloric acid instead of the soda, or alternate the two. Do 
not give the two together. Alternate them for a week at a time. 
A dose of strong hydrochloric acid is about 7 drops of the pure 
acid (freely diluted). Make up a pint of water and a dram 
of the acid — add any other drug that you wish. 

If the flatulence occurs about five hours after eating, that 
is indicative of an excess of hydrochloric acid. In such a case 
give anticids four hours after eating. This will intercept the se- 
cretions of gastric juice and limit the quantity, or at any rate 
will prevent any injurious effects from the excess. If the 
horse has a fair appetite and will eat powders, give him ordinary 
white arsenic in his feed along with the anticid ; but if his ap- 
petite is poor, in addition to the mixture of the tinctures give 
him Fowler's solution. Calculate to give him arsenic three times 
a day and it should always be given after eating. Do not allow 
the arsenic to go into an empty stomach. Never put a strong 
solution into the mouth in concentrated form — small doses will 
produce poisonous results. Do not give Fowler's solution clear 
— it is too strong; it will arrest the appetite and loosen the bow- 
els. Dilute it freely. 

In cases of this kind you will have to make many changes ir 
the hygiene usually. You will find, for instance, that young 
stallions, between one and two years old, and older ones if they 
belong to the draft class, suffer from confinement. You will 
frequently find over acute, subacute or chronic indigestion in 
stallions, especially in young ones. Often the main symptom 
noticed by the owner is the refusal of the animal to eat, and this 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 113 

induces the owner to call the doctor. For this lack of appetite 
give a mild purgative and follow it with antacids. Let the horse 
fast for two or three days. 

In older horses with this trouble always examine the teeth. 
You will find that deranged teeth are often the cause of indiges- 
tion. 

In case you have a young stallion to treat for indigestion, 
always prescribe exercise, the lack of which is one of the causes 
of his trouble. 

GASTRITIS. 

Gastritis is inflammation of the stomach mucous membrane. 
This disease goes through the same course as any other inflam- 
mation. It frequently runs to the third stage of inflammation 
and may terminate in ulceration. It is not very common in 
horses but is common in dogs and cats. 

Etiology. — In the horse gastritis usually follows a long con- 
tinued course of gastric flatulence. It is sometimes caused by 
traumatism, by foreign bodies — by anything that can wound the 
mucous membrane. In this case infection often follows. The 
gastric mucous membrane is frequently involved in a general in- 
flammation along with a similar condition in the whole alimentary 
track, as seen in influenza. Poisons, such as caustic potash, any 
of the three vitriols (blue, white and green), arsenic (common 
form eaten is Paris green), etc., are some of the causes of gas- 
tritis. Others are mercary, lead, and vegetable poisons, such as 
the yew, rhododendron, etc. 

Semeiology. — The symptoms consist of colicky pains, not un- 
like those of colic. The animal turns his head around to one 
side, has a depressed and haggard appearance ; he sweats more 
or less ; respirations quickened ; pulse rapid, hard and small, and 
gets more so as the disease progresses. There is complete anor- 
exia. In the very acute cases the thirst is not increased, but in 
subacute cases the thirst is greatly increased. The saliva is 
usually ropy. There may be frequent eructations ; flanks tucked 
up ; purgations ; constipation. The animal dies in a stupor, and 
the form of death is syncope. 



114 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

In the dog the symptoms are as follows : vomiting — a dog will 
drink large quantities of water and will go right off and throw 
it up again, then come back and drink some more. This is one 
of the most prominent symptoms of gastritis in the early stages. 
Upon pressing on the stomach, pain is produced; the dog lies 
flat on his chest. The other symptoms are much the same as in 
the horse. 

Post mortem. — The mucous membrane of the stomach will 
show inflammation. If caused by long continued gastric flatu- 
lence, the villus lining (near the pylorus) will be dark red and 
swollen. If the inflammation is caused by caustic poisons, there 
will be deep erosions. In some cases you will be puzzled to 
account for the death, the lesions not seeming sufficient. In 
case of lead poisoning the stomach at post should show redness 
without erosion — this poison produces general collapse. If the 
stomach has arsenic in it the mucous membranes will be dark. 

If death from poison is sudden, there will be no change in 
the fecal matter, i. e. in arsenic poisoning; but if the case is 
one of 24 hours standing, the fecal matter will be black; if 3-4 
days, there will be black diarrhoea. 

Treatment. — First ascertain the cause. If gastritis occurs 
from poisons give the proper antidote. If it occurs from a caus- 
tic, give oil — the oil and the alkali will form soap. Give moderate 
doses of the oil and then repeat. A pint of the oil would be 
sufficient. Repeat in half pint doses three times a day. To a 
large horse give a pint at the time. Apply a mustard plaster over 
the belly. Give aconite, alcohol and an anodyne such as fluid 
extract canabis indica. Give a bland fluid to drink like linseed 
tea. If the thirst is intense, restrict the water supply — put a 
little bicarbonate of soda in the drinking water. As a special 
regulator give subnitrate of bismuth, combining it with salol. 
During convalescence give lime water, fluid extract gentian, 
strychnine. 

As regards the poisons which case gastritis, it is essential 
for a doctor to keep posted on the various antidotes. It is a 
good plan to carry a .dose book in one's pocket all the time. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 115 

CHRONIC GASTRITIS. 

Horses are affected occasionally with chronic gastritis. It 
does not occur often, but when it does, it does not yield to treat- 
ment readily. It is associated with the following conditions : 

1. Continual errors in diet. 

2. Frequent recurring fits of acute indiges- 

tion. 

3. Textural changes in the glandular tis- 

sues of the stomach wall, such as 
seen occasionally in heaves. The 
secretions are deficient in both quan- 
tity and quality. 

4. Cribbing and long-continued wind 

sucking. 

5. Diseases of the liver interfering with 

the secretion of the bile. 

6. Malignant disease of the stomach. 

7. Mechanical injury to the mucous mem- 

brane produced by bots. These hang 
to the mucous membrane with little 
hooklets, and if there are very many, 
they irritate the mucous lining. 
Semeiology. — The symptoms are long continued and not very 
expressive. A very capricious appetite will be present ; greatly 
increased thirst; general unthrifty condition; pot belly, hide 
bound, long staring coat, debility, etc. The termination may be 
favorable if the cause can be removed, but it may develop into 
the acute form at any time. 

Treatment. — Look at the molar teeth and attend to them if 
need be. Attend to the hygiene ; give antacids such as bicar- 
bonate of soda, lime water, prepared chalk, subnitrate of bis- 
muth, etc. Put them in the drinking water or feed. A horse 
with this trouble will drink all that he can hold. Other drugs 
are gentian, ginger, mux vomica, tonic doses of quinine, arsenic, 
etc. Give him a run at grass if possible. See the Hygiene for 
Chronic Gastric Indigestion. 



116 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

RUPTURE OF THE STOMACH. 

Rupture of the stomach may be partial or complete. Remem- 
ber that the stomach wall consists of three coats, the middle 
layer of non-striated muscle, covered with a serous coat, the peri- 
toneum, and an inner mucous coat which lines the stomach. In 
partial rupture the serous coat gives away first, then the mus- 
cular. 

Etiologv. — Rupture may occur in gastric flatulence, repeated 
attacks of which will terminate in rupture. The rupture will 
probably occur in a much milder attack of flatulence than he 
may have recovered from many times before. Every attack of 
flatulence weakens the stomach wall. In posting a case of 
rupture, the tear may be a foot long — this probably took place 
when the horse fell. That which occurs in case of distension is 
usually 2-4 inches long. And the post will reveal something 
about the time of the rupture; if it has taken place 6-8 hours be- 
fore death, the edges of the laceration will show congestion or 
even inflammation ; if the tear took place when the animal fell, 
the edges will not be congested. 

Semeiology. — The symptoms of rupture are not diagnostic. 
Never state the diagnosis positively, to be contradicted after- 
ward by a post. The following symptoms are usually confirmed 
by post mortem in case of rupture but they are present in other 
diseases too : 

1. Vomition is a usual symptom. There 
is not necessarily an actual expulsion 
of food and injecta, but there may 
be retching. In some cases there will 
be no vomiting at all. In rupture 
of the diaphragm and in gut-tie we get 
vomition also. Horses have vomited 
2-10 hours after rupture as proven by 
the congestion and in some cases in- 
flammation of the edges of the rup- 
ture. We may find an extensive peri- 
tonitis in case of rupture, this show- 
ing that time may elapse and the ani- 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 117 

mal live after the rupture has taken 
place. The peritoneum may show 
exudation and effusion as the result 
of the contact with the injecta from 
the stomach. 

2. Great nervous prostration. 

3. Increase in frequency and decrease in 

size and strength of the pulse. 

4. Sweating in patches. 

5. Anxious countenance. 

6. Animal lies down and then rises up on 

his forward feet, sitting on his 
haunches like a dog. 

7. Hurried respiration. 

8. Mucous membranes cyanotic — the cyan- 

osis is due to the nervous prostra- 
tion, which lessens the heart's action 
and thus induces the cyanosis. 
As death approaches, the ears, extremities and nose get cold ; 
the perspiration is cold ; there is trembling of the muscles, more 
particularly the caput muscles. Death may take place anywhere 
from 1/2-20 hours. In the majority of cases it occurs in 2-6 
hours. The nervous prostration and death from syncope may 
occur at any time. A sensitive nervous system will collapse 
quickly from an attack of rupture and the animal will die in 
half an hour, while a phlegmatic temperament will not show so 
quick a reaction. One case is recorded as living 50 hours after 
rupture. 

The symptoms after the rupture has taken place are as fol- 
lows : 

1. Pain ceases. 

2. Tympanitis ceases. 

3. Sudden cessation of the flatulence. 

In a case where rupture occurs say 18 inches long without 
any congestion of the lacerated edges, we must conclude that the 
rupture took place when he fell, and that he died from asphyxia. 
In such a case you could not say that the rupture killed him, it 
was the dropping. On the other hand if you find a partial 



118 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

rupture and the mucosa bulging outside the wall, then the rupture 
causes the death. 

Treatment. — To begin with all cases of rupture are fatal — 
whether the rupture is partial or complete. But seeing that the 
symptoms of rupture are not very diagnostic, the doctor must 
continue the case right up to the end. Treat the case for acute 
gastric indigestion. 

Occasionally at post mortem, holes will be found in the wall 
of the stomach, varying from the size of a dime to a dollar. A 
horse dying in the city which recently has come in from the 
country will always have bots. To these some attribute the 
cause of the holes, and it is also common to refer the cause of 
colic to bots — men say that the horse has the "bots." This is 
wrong; the bots are not the cause of colic, or of the perforated 
condition of the stomach as found post mortem. The bots may 
cause gastritis by irritating the stomach mucosa or they may 
become so numerous as to make an obstruction when they let go, 
the only two conditions in which they can be responsible for any 
lesion. The real cause of the holes in the stomach is this: They 
occur in a digested condition of the wall. In such a case the 
animal has probably been in a clover patch where in half an 
hour be can eat enough clover to blow himself up like a balloon ! 
He dies, and if the post mortem is delayed 4 or 5 hours, the 
stomach will become digested in spots and patches, and warm 
weather will aggravate the condition. The abundance of the gas- 
tric juice which was present at the time of death digests the 
stomach wall in patches. This is known as post mortem diges- 
tion. 

CONSTIPATION. 

Definition. — Constipation is a condition of the bowels in 
which the feces are unnaturally retained, or if ejected, are scanty, 
hard and dry. It is not usually a serious matter, but it occa- 
sionally leads to death through other developments. The large 
intestine is the part involved; constipation usually occurs in the 
floating colon or rectum. 

Etiology. — The causal factors are three; 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 119 

1. Feeding on bulky, innutritious food 

with too little water. 

2. Defective peristalsis, amounting in 

some cases to paralysis of the large 
bowel. 

3. Deficient secretion of the succus en- 

tericus or excessive absorption of 
the fluid portion of the food. 

4. Intestinal obstructions. 

Pathogenesis. — In regard to the first cause, bulky food will 
not cause constipation if the horse gets plenty of water; defi- 
ciency of water, however, will of itself cause constipation 
whether the food is bulky or not. But suppose the horses are 
wintering in the barnyard on straw, and have to go a long way to 
get water. If the weather is cold, they will not go so often, and 
furthermore they will not drink much when they do go. This 
causes constipation. Or it may be mid-summer when the grass 
is dry and short. The animals have to go into the bottoms to 
get the grass and the streams are dried up. They get bulky, in- 
nutritious, dry hay and little or no water. These are two con- 
ditions to cause constipation. 

In cases of constipation from the second cause, we shall find 
that the horses are over-fed, perhaps kept for a long time on one 
kind of feed. As a result the secretions are defective, the nerv- 
ous system is tired, and this fatigue reacts causing paralysis of 
the bowels. The third cause, a deficient secretion of the succus 
entericus, is a peculiar condition, and may be due to inactivity of 
the glands, or to excessive absorption of the fluids of the bowel. 
The features peculiar to the fourth cause will be given under the 
head of Intestinal Obstructions. 

Semeiology. — The symptoms of constipation depend upon the 
cause. In case the first cause is operating to produce the disease, 
there will be a general unthrifty condition. The horse will be 
thin, more or less hide-bound, his coat will be long and staring 
and the feces scanty and dry. If the constipation is caused by 
the second factor, we shall get inactivity of the bowels due to 
nervous depression, which, in many cases, means paralysis of the 
colon. In the morning you may find an absence of fecal mat- 



120 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

ter, the horse perhaps will not eat his breakfast, and is inclined 
to lie down a good deal. If you drive him out, he will paw, and 
if loose in the box stall he will turn around and lie down again. 
This condition continues, gradually growing worse in the way of 
pawing more, getting up and down at shorter intervals, switch- 
ing the tail, etc. At the end of the third day or the beginning 
of the third, the temperature rises. It may be 102°, and the 
pulse is increased in frequency about 50. By the end of the 
third day the temperature will be 103°, pulse 55; fourth day, 
temperature 105°, pulse 60 and getting small and hard. By the 
morning of the fifth day the animal is in bad condition, — tem- 
perature 105° or more, pulse 60 to 70, respirations 25 or 30, 
haggard countenance, injected mucous membrane, etc. He be- 
gins to tramp, — to walk round and round the stall. If he does 
not get relief before night, he will die from enteritis. 

If the constipation is caused by a deficient water supply, the 
rectum is apt to be everted to the extent of two or three inches. 
This is caused by straining. The everted rectum is very dark 
red, and if it stays out very long it becomes nearly purple. 

If the third cause is the factor producing the condition, the 
pellets will be small, hard and dry, sometimes falling on to the 
floor like marbles. In aggravated cases of this kind there will be 
an inclination to lie down more than usual and mild colicy pains 
when standing. This form of constipation occurs in driving 
horses that are highly fed on hay and oats and are overworked, 
keeping them thin in flesh. 

In constipation from the first and third causes 5-15 days may 
elapse before enteritis develops, but in all cases, if the horse is 
not relieved, the enteritis will eventually kill him. 

When a foal cannot have its first passage on account of the 
dryness of the meconium, you will find, that the mare has been 
worked too hard and kept on dry feed so that there is not 
enough water in her system and the young foal partook of the 
same dryness from which the mother suffered. If the mother 
is kept on soft feed for a month before the birth, this is not 
likely to occur. In case the foal does not have a passage by the 
end of 10-12 hours, he must be relieved. 

If the constipation is due to the second cause, the contents of 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 121 

the bowel in this case are not hard and dry ; there is no impac- 
tion nor disturbance, simply paralysis of the bowel. The normal 
motion of the fecal matter has ceased, and the contents are lying 
persistently in one place. This acts as an irritant but not enough 
to stimulate the bowel to functional activity, enough, however, to 
produce congestion and eventually inflammation. The paralysis 
of the bowel is probably caused by too long continuation of one 
kind of food ; the bowel gets tired, and this tired feeling may be 
due to a loss of irritability in the peripheral terminations of the 
sympathetic nerves, which supply the bowel with motor power. 

Treatment. — Naturally constipation would indicate the use of 
a purgative, but much judgment needs to be used in treating a 
case of this kind. As a rule, the drastic purgatives are contra- 
indicated. The oleaginous, lubricating purgatives are better. 
Consequently we give raw linseed oil instead of aloes, sulphate 
of magnesia, or sulphate of soda. Sometimes these saline laxa- 
tives work fairly well when the case is due to the second cause, 
but otherwise they are not useful in equine practice. The lin- 
seed oil stimulates the bowel sufficiently and it also lubricates it. 
It can be repeated with safety, but not so with the other purga- 
tives. In cases of severe constipation, aloes will not work ; if 
you repeat the dose even after a reasonable length of time, and 
the bowels do finally get started, super-purgation and death will 
probably follow. In addition to the oil, the horse needs a stimu- 
lant, which in this case should be strychnine. I think that 
strychnine in constipation is indispensable ; it will do more to 
cure the trouble than any other drug. You can use other stimu- 
lants right along too, such as ginger, capsicum, and carbonate of 
ammonia. Further, give enernata (soap and water) ; these are 
indispensable, too. They should be warm, about 100 degrees. 

As a rule, in treating constipation,, anodynes are not neces- 
sary until the case gets along into a late stage, when the pain 
may be so severe as to require an anodyne on humane principles. 
We are inclined to think that they tend to decrease peristalsis, 
which you want to increase, and therefore they must be such 
as will not interfere with the very thing you are trying to bring 
about. Chloral hydrate and chloroform can be given if neces- 
sary. 



122 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

To an average sized horse we usually give a quart of linseed 
oil. Combine with this an ounce of fluid extract of nux vom- 
ica and a dram of the fluid extract of ginger, or half a dram of 
fluid extract of capsicum. In giving a soap and water rectal in- 
jection, do this by gravitation. You can use a pump, but gravi- 
tation is better. Hang a bucket on the wall and let the solution 
run in through a hose, which should be inserted in the rectum 
anywhere from 2-6 feet. In this way more can be introduced 
than with the pump. The pump forces the water in, but the 
bowel resists it and will throw it out quicker. Consequently 
the water does not stay in long enough to soften the fecal mat- 
ter. The injection should be repeated every 3-4 hours. The oil 
should be repeated night and morning in pint doses, but with 
each repetition, lessen the quantity of nux vomica. Give an 
ounce the first dose and half an ounce every subsequent dose." 

Suppose the trouble runs on and does not yield to this treat- 
ment, give stronger remedies, such as eserine, arecolin and 
barium chloride. You can give a grain and a half of eserine 
with a half grain of strychnine dissolved in a dram of water — 
give hypodermically. Fifteen or twenty minutes before giving 
these doses, give half an ounce of cannabis indica. Or give 
him morphine, but cannabis is better than morphine. If this 
does not work, in the course of two hours give a grain of 
arecolin and a half grain of strychnine. Dissolve in water and 
give hypodermically. Some add to either or both of these from 
yi to \%. grains of pilocarpine. 

If the horse gets no relief by the fourth day, and the fever 
begins, the pulse begins to climb up, his countenance is dis- 
tressed, etc., the doctor begins to get worried. If warm enemas 
have been given, change them to cold — this will help very much. 
Run the hose in slowly five or six feet and use plenty of water. 
The cold water will reduce the temperature, which by this time 
may be 106 degrees. In half an hour the temperature will come 
down perhaps two degrees. It will allay the pain and stimulate 
the sympathetic system. This cold injection often saves a horse. 
This is especially true if the case does not yield to eserine or to 
arecolin. 

Never repeat eserine or arecolin oftener than three hours 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 123 

apart. If you repeat them alternate them, and do not forget 
that the stimulants are as useful as any other part of the treat- 
ment. In case of an infant suffering from constipation, give a 
soap and water injection, inserting the finger, and let him have 
an ounce of New Orleans molasses, or a half ounce of linseed 
oil, or an ounce of castor oil. 

If in 6-10 hours very urgent symptoms come on, do not 
wait for the action of oil, but resort to eserine or arecolin. Dr. 
Quitman cuts out the eserine in case of complete paralysis of 
the bowel, but if the strychnine is given first to stimulate, then 
the eserine will work all right in most cases. Eserine should 
not be repeated under 3 hours. The dose is \ l /2 grains. 

Horses afflicted with any kind of paralysis in any part of the 
body will take large doses of strychnine. 

Counter irritation is good in cases of constipation. If mus- 
tard does not seem strong enough, then take croton oil. Mix 
croton oil (1 part) with linseed oil (8 parts). The doctor 
should apply this externally himself, and be careful not to 
blemish. The irritant acts as a purgative as the result of absorp- 
tion. 

In obstinate constipation we fond that massage of the bowels 
is very practical, especially for dogs, cats and the human. It 
cannot be applied to the horse. In treating the dog, lay him on 
the left side, fill him up with soap and water and firmly work the 
water out of the colon. Begin on the right side and work along 
the colon and then on the left. 

DIARRHOEA. 

Definition. — Diarrhoea is an unnaturally fluid condition of the 
feces. It is a peculiar functional disturbance in which there is 
an excessive secretion of the succus entericus with increased 
peristalsis. This additional intestinal juice helps to produce 
the fluidity of the feces. Accompanying the diarrhoea are in- 
creased peristalsis and increased amount of mucous and gela- 
tinous exudate accumulating on the mucous membrane of the 
bowel. This is a catarrhal condition, 



124 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

In superpurgation we have diarrhoea, but it is not functional; 
it is the result of the action of the dose. 

Etiology. — Diarrhoea is caused by the action of some irritant 
in the bowels. This irritant acts as a stimulant. Undue fermen- 
tation may be present, brought about by specific germs, espe- 
cially fungi and molds. Or there may be inactivity of the liver 
in which there is a defective secretion of bile, — there is not bile 
enough to change the acid chyme to the alkaline chyle. If the 
contents of the bowel are not alkaline, then diarrhoea takes place. 
This is the cause of 95 per cent of all the cases that occur. Par- 
asites, various intestinal worms, especially the ascaris megaloce- 
phala, tape worms, mechanical and chemical irritants, local irri- 
tants such as would produce a local inflammation with alteration 
of structure, excess of bile which is of itself a laxative '(ox gall 
was the old standard family laxative), bad hygiene (poor food, 
such as hay cut from the bottoms which overflowed the previous 
spring, the action of the sand that sticks to the grass and is eaten 
with the hay being the cause of the diarrhoea; foul water con- 
taining wigglers and parasites, and irregular and overfeeding), 
exposure to cold and dampness, overheating especially on a hot 
day and some forms of indigestion — these are the principal fac- 
tors producing diarrhoea. Diarrhoea is also a symptom of in- 
fluenza. 

S.emeiology. — In diarrhoea there is usually a watery discharge 
from the bowels, often spoken of as alvine discharges. The 
color is dirty brown or it may be clay or yellow. The dirty 
brown is the usual color when the liver is not affected; The 
lighter color indicates a deficiency of bile, a yellow color an ex- 
cess of bile. In case of an excessive secretion of bile there will 
be a switching of the tail prompted by the irritating action of the 
bile, which scalds the anus. This is bilious diarrhoea. 

In all cases of diarrhoea evacuations are frequent; in mild 
cases the discharge may be frequent too, but it is not so fluid. 
There is more or less pain present, and in bad cases actual 
cramps. If the case is acute the animal may lose a day or two 
from his work. Increased secretion and increased peristalsis 
are nature's remedies to get rid of irritants. Consequently in 
diarrhoea we find the mouth pasty, like the coated tongue in the 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 125 

human. The mouth smells sour. As a result there will be a 
lowering of temperature, i. e., subnormal. The amount of the 
fall of temperature depends upon the nervous prostration which 
results from the evacuations. The mucous membranes become 
blanched and they become paler as death approaches ; the pulse 
gets small, weak and hard; animal has a dejected appearance; 
he sometimes sweats in patches, as death approaches ; ultimately 
he dies from syncope, or collapse. 

Diarrhoea runs a very rapid course; in young animals 6-10 
hours may be fatal. In case of superpurgation (an overdose or 
injudicious repetition) the course is very rapid. Do not repeat 
a dose of aloes under seven days, for you are liable to get serious 
results. Be very careful about repeating purgative doses. Some 
say that oil will kill a horse. "I know better." You can give 
him a gallon in some cases when needed. It is better to let the 
horse die from other trouble than from superpurgation. 

The bowels of the horse are very sensitive ; I do not believe 
in severe purgation for it is weakening. The danger lies in 
injudicial repetition of the dose. 

The strongylus tetracanthus sometimes sets up an enteritis 
rather than a diarrhoea. 

In all cases where the temperature runs down, the surface 
gets cold, especially in young animals. Foals shut up from their 
mothers should not be separated for more than four hours, for 
the milk will spoil and produce diarrhoea in the foal. Let the 
colt suck some every four hours. Never overheat a mare 
suckling a colt; for this produces an unthrifty condition of the 
colt. 

Post mortem. — General pallor ; the mucous lining of the bow- 
els is pale ; intestinal epithelium eroded in places over extensive 
areas; may find inflammation; peritoneal coat spotted; ecchy- 
mosis ; contents of the rectum more or less bloody, called by 
some dysentery, but it is really bloody diarrhoea. In dysentery 
we have a rise of temperature ; in diarrhoea, a lowering. 

Treatment. — Remove the cause. For the excessive peris- 
talsis opium is the only remedy; for the acid condition of the 
bowels give antacids. If the fermentation is microbic, give anti- 
septics. Salol is the best; it is effectual and harmless. Opium 



126 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

is best given in powder by the mouth. To prevent nervous 
prostration, give a stimulant — zingiber or capsicum, or if the 
case is serious, ammonium carbonate or alcohol. Strychnine is 
contraindicated. The object is to tide nature over while the 
other drugs get to work. In acute cases astringents are useless ; 
in chronic they are indispensable. In cases of bloody feces, 
give an injection of starch gruel with laudanum. When the 
bowels are running it is unsafe to stop them too quickly for you 
are apt to get enteritis. For dogs, cats and people give sub- 
nitrate bismuth (10 grains) and salol (5 grains) every four 
hours. 

ACUTE DIARRHOEA IN THE HUMAN. 

Treatment. — This consists of antacids and antiseptics, the 
antacids to neutralize the contents of the stomach and bowels 
and the antiseptics to arrest the fermentation in them. 

Prescription — 

Salol 5 grains 

Bismuth 10 grains 

Take every four hours. 
Both these drugs are harmless and two or three doses usually 
produce the desired result. This prescription is good for man 
as well as for animals. In grown people diarrhoea does not al- 
ways yield to> the antacids and it is necessary to change to acids, 
in which case use sulphuric acid. 

Usually excessive thirst is a symptom of diarrhoea; sulphuric 
acid cures this and stimulates healthy secretions when the anta- 
cids fail. 

CHRONIC DIARRHOEA. 

Chronic diarrhoea is exceedingly disagreeable. The horse 
comes out of the barn in a normal condition so far as the bowels 
are concerned, drives a mile or two, when he begins to empty 
himself and keeps on getting looser as he travels. This is par- 
ticularly true of driving horses. 

The cause of this trouble lies in over-heating the horse when 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 127 

he is in a plethoric condition. This purges him and he never 
gets over it. The mucous membranes become excessively irri- 
tated and this excites the sympathetic nerves which control the 
bowel. The result is chronic looseness. Chronic diarrhoea can 
be controlled to a certain extent but it cannot be cured. 

Treatment. — Give antacids and astringents. Hygiene will do 
more for the animal than any other measure. Give the best 
quality of food in rather limited quantities, especially hay. The 
army allowance for a horse is fourteen pounds a day, this for an 
average sized horse; in this condition give 10-12 pounds. Add 
dry bran to the oats to make him chew slowly and he will masti- 
cate better. If he is inclined to drink too much water measure 
the water for him; give it to him in a pail, lj/? gallons four 
times a day, six hours apart. If the thirst is excessive put a 
little bicarbonate of soda or hydrochloric acid in the water. Do 
not give any corn. Keep him on oats and bran. 

Prescription 

Sodium Bicarbonate 4 ounces 

Gentian Ed. Pulv 3 ounces 

Quercus Rd. Alba Pulv 16 ounces 

Zingiber 1 ounce 

Charcoal 3 ounces 

Make into 60 powders and give one night and 
morning. 

Recommend the driver of the horse to start out slowly, and 
go that way for an hour, increasing the pace of the animal grad- 
ually. Especially is this necessary in hot weather. In bad cases 
it is necessary to give this treatment continually, and the horse 
will keep in a very comfortable condition. After a month's treat- 
ment leave it off for a week or two then repeat periodically. 

The main treatment is the hygiene. Use soft diet such as 
scalded oats for horses. If you give ground feed a little bran 
should be added ; pour hot water on it and steam well, adding 
a little salt. For horses that scour from indigestion stir up a 
little wheat flour and cold water (a pound of flour to a gallon of 
water) and give that. This will often be effectual. 

The following is the classification and description of the three 
principal worms associated with colic : 

1. Ascaris megalocephala, inhabiting small 
intestines. 



128 THEORY ANT> PRACTICE 

2. Strongylus armatus (sclerostoma equi- 

num), found in the large intestines 
of the horse. 

3. Oxyuris curvula (commonly called pin 

worms), found in the intestines and 
rectum of the horse. 

The ascaris megalocephala belongs to the family ascarides 
of the order of nematodes. It is the largest species of its kind. 
It is a large, round, yellowish white worm from 10-14 inches 
long. It is oviparous and common in the small intestine of the 
horse, ass and mule. When these worms are numerous enough 
to cause an obstruction they may cause colic. 

The strongylus armatus is a blood sucking worm found in the 
large intestine of the horse. It is from 1 to 2 inches long; body 
gray or reddish brown and broad in its anterior part. The mouth 
is provided with a ring of fine teeth by which it holds to the 
mucous membrane. The larvse of the worm may be found in 
aneurisms and may produce tumors as large as a hazel nut in 
the wall of the intestine (verminous cyst). 

The oxyuris curvula is the ordinary pin worm and is most 
common in the rectum. It measures from 1 to 3 inches long; 
curved in the anterior part of the body; the posterior half is 
attenuated. Its mouth presents three great rounded lips. It be- 
longs to the family oxyuridae of the order of nematodes. 

A sear Ida e ( family ) . 

Ascaris megalocephala (species). 

Large round worm (common). 
Strongylidae ( family ) . 

"Strongylus armatus (sclerostoma 

equinum). 
^The armed worm. 
Oxyuridae ( family ) . 

Oxyuris curvula (species). 
Common pin worm. 



o 

p. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 129 

COLIC. 

Colic in the abstract, of course, relates to the colon ; but as 
a disease we apply the word to peculiar abdominal pain. Colic 
is divided into two classes, spasmodic and flatulent. 

Spasmodic colic is a painful affection of the bowels without 
fever or inflammation. The pain is intermittent and is pro- 
duced by irritation of the mucous lining of the bowels. This ir- 
ritation extends to the muscular coat, which contracts spasmod- 
ically through the stimulation of the sympathetic nerves. This 
contraction is usually violent and painful. It is the effort of 
nature to increase peristalsis to push the irritant along. If 
nature is successful in doing this, the trouble ends ; but if not, 
then the action is repeated. Therefore the pain is intermittent. 
If nature fails entirely, the irritation will later produce conges- 
tion and inflammation, and eventually death by enteritis. 

In such a case the spasms increase in violence as the case 
runs along. In a favorable case they may stop altogether, but if 
they do recur, it is with decreased violence until they stop. 

Etiology. — As to the causes of colic, first comes errors in diet, 
producing indigestion. This covers overeating, poor food, heavy 
drinking soon after eating, frozen food, — this chills the mucous 
lining and the reaction from the chill is accompanied by cramps, 
eating when physically exhausted, drinking large draughts of cold 
water especially when warm, and still more so if the horse is 
tired, intestinal concretions, — usually the calcareous ones (a cal- 
culus in the bowel does not cause pain until it rolls out of its 
pocket, then it acts as an irritant, but the pocket in which it 
grows has become accustomed to its weight gradually), para- 
sites such as ascarides, strongylus armatus and strongylus tetra- 
canthus. Of these three worms the last two mentioned are more 
likely to produce colic, the first to produce diarrhoea. The young 
embryos of these worms sometimes work their way into the colic 
artery, start a colony and eventually cause an aneurism, which is 
more or less obstructed by worms. Any alteration or disturbance 
of the circulation in the bowels produces violent pain the same as 
congestion in pleurisy causes pain. This pressure in the colic 
artery produces pain sufficiently to ultimately kill the animal. 



130 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

The strongylus tetracanthus usually exists in large numbers 
and produces extreme pain, for which we use irritating poisons 
such as arsenic, sulphate of copper, sulphate of zinc, or sulphate 
of iron in large quantities. 

Another cause of colic is exposure to cold and dampness. If 
a horse falls down or lies down on the ice or snow, exposure to 
the cold is likely to produce colic. Colic may be produced by 
violence in the form of kicks, severe accidents, etc. 

Semeiology. — Colic usually comes on suddenly. The irritant, 
whatever it is, irritates the lining of the bowel and nature will 
submit to this disturbance only up to a certain point. Then she 
gives away suddenly. The irritation sufficient to produce colic 
may be accumulating for several days or it may do its work in a 
few hours, but when the colic begins, it runs a rapid course. If 
the horse is watched prior to the development of the disease, it 
will be noticed that he gets uneasy first, may lie down and kick 
his hind feet up, turn around, switch his tail, lie down and roll 
and get up again. He may be quite comfortable for a few 
minutes, then another cramp comes on a little more severe than 
the preceding one. As a result he lies down and may attempt to 
remain on his back, then goes through the same restless motions 
again until he exercises himself enough to sweat. He rolls and 
kicks and switches his tail until he feels easier. 

In the majority of cases nature cures the trouble. These vio- 
lent contractions succeed in moving the obstruction along. Sev- 
enty-five per cent of these cases will be well when the doctor 
arrives. The pulse is increased in frequency due to the violent 
exertion, but it is not altered in character until the trouble has 
been running a considerable length of time with the possible 
danger of enteritis. The exercise may also cause an elevation of 
temperature. 

Pressure on the belly may give relief, while in enteritis or 
peritonitis, it increases the pain ; this is a means of diagnosis. 

According to the idea of the laity retaining the urine causes 
colic, but this does not occur except when the horse has a habit 
of urinating under certain favorable conditions and holds the 
urine too long, thus causing a spasmodic contraction of the neck 
of the bladder. This is painful in itself and of course he is un- 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 131 

able to void his urine. Overdistension of the bladder also causes 
pain. Some horses refuse to urinate while in harness ; others 
will not urinate on the bare floor. 

Most all cases of colic are due to' the first cause — errors in 
diet. The effect of this is indigestion, and we can say that sev- 
enty-five per cent of the colic cases are due to indigestion. 

The feces in most cases are hard and dry. If the trouble 
is in the large bowel, the horse will stand stretched out as though 
he wanted to micturate. This action on his part is usually looked 
upon as a symptom of the disturbance being in the large bowel, 
but the owner gets the idea that the irritation is in the bladder. 
Again, when the large bowel is involved in colic, the horse will 
usually resist the entrance of the hand into the rectum, but will 
not if the trouble is in the small bowel. 

Occasionally we find that indigestion produces diarrhoea, — 
quite an extensive loosening of the bowels with severe cramps in 
connection with it. 

Treatment. — Bear in mind that the trouble is always urgent, 
therefore be quick. If you delay, he will get well without your 
help ! On the other hand he may develop enteritis. Stimula- 
tion is the main point as regards curing the horse. The object 
of this is to assist nature in forcing the irritant, whatever it is, 
along through the bowels. Of course these stimulants naturally 
increase the pain, but by so doing you are assisting nature to 
overcome the trouble. If the contents of the bowels lie along in 
one place, this will produce inflammation and death. The stimu- 
lants usually given are the more active ones such as sulphuric 
ether, liberal doses of nux vomica, strychnine, ginger, small 
doses of eserin or arecolin, barium chloride, aromatic spirits of 
ammonia. 

Give anodynes freely, such as chloral hydrate, tincture of 
aconite (freely dilute it in small doses and repeat often), can- 
nabis and in exceedingly violent cases hypodermic injections of 
morphine, not desirable but allowable. Friction on the belly 
gives relief. To overcome the indigestion use some neutral salt 
to act as an antiseptic. Give sodium theosulphate in 2-ounce 
doses. Turpentine is an excellent remedy, being an antiseptic 
and a stimulant. Ginger and capsicum are also good remedies. 



132 THEORY AND PRACTICE. 

Watch the case closely; stay with it for a time. Colic doses 
are usually repeated in half hours but sometimes they must be 
repeated every 15 'minutes. For violent colic away from home, 
at a funeral for instance, tie a small piece of tobacco to the bit, 
and the horse will swallow enough of it to give him relief. 

FLATULENT COLIC. 

Flatulent colic is similar in many respects to spasmodic colic, 
but instead of the cramp we have tympanitis. This, whether of 
the bowels or the stomach, is always due to the fermentation of 
food. In case of impaction of the colon, when there is paralysis 
of the bowel, there is sometimes a little flatulence, but it is never 
a distressing symptom. In that case the flatulence as it occurs 
passes off naturally. 

In flatulent colic the tympanitis distends the bowels and 
presses strongly forward against the diaphragm. This disturbs 
the breathing, making the horse breathe faster and more shallow, 
producing rapid nervous prostration or asphyxia. Rupture of 
the bowels occasionally takes place, the symptoms are self- 
evident. The body is distended, the flanks tympanic or drum- 
like, and the rectum sometimes everted more or less. 

Pathogenesis. — There is indigestion. The undigested food fer- 
ments ; the flatulence starting in one portion of the bowel pro- 
duces a fold on itself so that the gas as it forms, cannot escape 
and the more gas that forms the greater is the pressure upon the 
fold. Then it presses forward upon the diaphragm and causes 
asphyxia, or nervous prostration. Naturally as a result of this, 
the mucous membrane becomes greatly cyanotic ; breathing is 
more rapid and shallow ; the ears droop ; the head hangs and in 
the course of 2-4 hours the horse in many cases is ready to 
topple over. 

Treatment. — In a very bad case, when the doctor arrives, he 
has not time to wait for medicine to act ; you cannot relieve the 
case with the hose and, the disturbance being in the bowels, it 
takes the medicine a long time to reach that place. In the mean- 
time the animal is likely to die. Consequently you must tap the 
distended bowel with a trocar. This is considered by some a 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 133 

radical operation, but with horses it seems quite necessary. Keep 
the trocar with you all the time. Keep it well cleaned. Boil it 
after each operation. 

We usually tap on the right side for that is the most promi- 
nent point of the distension. Clip the hair off from a small 
place, scratch it with the finger nail and then wash the part with 
an antiseptic solution. Make a puncture about 5-8 to 1-2 inch 
deep and then insert the trocar downward, inward and forward, 
at least six inches, especially in a fat horse. If you strike the 
bowel, gas will escape. We find two kinds of gas in these cases, 
sulphuretted hydrogen and carbon-dioxide. The first is the one 
usually found. Touch a match to the escaping gas and it will 
burn with a blue flame, if it is hydrogen gas, but if it is carbon- 
dioxide the flame will be put out. If the force is great, it may 
make a flame a yard long. Just as soon as all the gas has es- 
caped, reinsert the trocar into the cannula and pull the two out 
together slowly. This will prevent the fecal matter from coming 
out into the peritoneal cavity. Put some vaseline on the opening 
to keep the dirt out. If possible keep the horse standing during 
the operation. Occasionally he will lie down and you cannot get 
him up. Tap on the right side if possible, but either side will do. 

After the gas has escaped the horse can get up. Then dose 
him. The best remedy we have is turpentine. It is quick to 
act — it will act in ten minutes. No other drug will act so quickly. 
In addition to the turpentine it is a good plan to give a liberal 
dose of theosulphate of sodium — 4-6 ounces. After the flatu- 
lence has been relieved, give an injection of soap and water. In 
case of considerable pain, give an anodyne ; the best one is prob- 
ably chloral hydrate. Give a 1200-lb. horse about two ounces, 
either in a capsule or in tissue paper. Give liberal doses of lin- 
seed oil. 

Occasionally when tapping a horse a stream of blood will 
come out through the cannula, but I have never known this to be 
serious. In case you do not get the gas the first time you insert 
the trocar, keep on trying until you do strike the bowel, always 
inserting it in a new place each time. In searching in this way 
for the bowel do not pull the trocar out through the skin, but to 
it only, then change the direction a little and push it forcibly 



134 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

down again. Sometimes the owner will not let you tap his horse, 
which may be an especially valuable one. Assure him that the 
operation is a perfectly safe one — that it is absolutely harmless. 
If he still refuses, you can resort to eserin or arecolin, which 
should be given hypodermically. When using these violent rem- 
edies, give the animal an anodyne so as to blunt the sensibilities ; 
for these drugs will increase the pain. In a moderately bad case, 
give the eserin, or arecolin, or barium chloride — one dram in a 
pint of water by the mouth. 

There is little use to give injections while the abdomen is dis- 
tended. Bear in mind that getting the gas out does not cure the 
trouble; this does not remove the cause. You must introduce 
an anti-ferment through the mouth. 

In tapping for this trouble there are only two organs to avoid, 
the bladder and the kidney. If you puncture straight down, 
you are likely to strike the bladder. Tap downward, inward 
and forward and you will go in front of the bladder. To avoid 
the kidney dip downward. 

Some unfavorable results occur from tapping. These may be 
enumerated as follows : Peritonitis ; tetanus ; abscess ; intestinal 
fistula. Peritonitis and tetanus do not occur very often, tetanus 
probably the more frequently of the two. The germ producing 
it is introduced with the trocar. Peritoneal abscess is the most 
common result. It is located between the parietal peritoneum 
and the skin. This abscess is very serious if neglected. The pus. 
that forms in it will extend to the flank and break out there. 
If this occurs, open the abscess and let out the pus, then syringe 
it out thoroughly, and it will heal very soon. This condition is 
no reflection upon the doctor, such abscesses will occur in spite 
of good technique in operating. Exercise all possible precaution 
against dirt to reduce the danger. Sometimes you will get a 
mesenteric abscess on the inside. The resisting power of horses 
is strong except in the peritoneum. In case of intestinal fistula, 
there is a chronic discharge from the bowel through the punc- 
ture. The liquid portion of the bowel contents comes out through 
the puncture and it does not take long for this to become a fistula. 
The best treatment is to cauterize it. Inject into the opening a 
solution of sulphate of copper the strength of an ounce to a pint 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 135 

of water — that is a little less than 8 per cent solution. Shoot 
down through the fistula about two drams of the solution and 
smear the external opening with vaseline. This injection will 
produce a sloughing and inflammation and the debris will empty 
into the bowel. Usually one injection will cure the trouble in 
the course of a week. 

In using the trocar and canula, do not leave the canula in the 
tissues more than two or three minutes. Congestion may gather 
around it and fix the tissues so that when you take it out an 
opening remains. Two or three minutes is long enough. 

In all bad cases there is great nervous prostration. For this 
give alcohol, strychnine, ginger, capsicum, and oil of turpentine. 

In close ribbed horses you will find that the flank does not 
distend much and is not so drum like as in a long flanked horse. 
These cases require more prompt attention than long flanked 
horses. Watch the mucous membranes for cyanosis indicating 
the necessity for tapping. 

INTESTINAL OBSTRUCTIONS. 

The intestinal obstructions consist — of calculi, dust balls, bots 
or any other foreign object that might get into the bowels. As 
applied to horses these will probably cover all that you will ever 
find. Milch cows are inclined to eat all kinds of stuff, such as 
table cloths, etc., dogs are inclined to swallow marbles, spools of 
thread, and in fact any hard substance. 

Other obstructions of the intestines are caused by: 

2. Hernia and strangulation. 

3. Stricture. 

4. Volvulus. 

5. Intussusception. 

Calculi are composed of carbonate of lime and usually some 
carbonate of magnesia with it. They also contain more or less 
of the phosphates of lime and magnesia. These salts accumulate 
on the outside of a small stone, nail head or other foreign body 
in thin layers and they always begin to form around a nucleus. 
This is usually a piece of a nail, a screw, any foreign object such 
as a little pebble, etc. It must be something that does not dis- 



136 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

solve so that the salts of the intestinal juices will form around 
it until it grows to a very large size, and attains a great weight. 
Starting small in this way, the calculus forms a pocket, the lining 
of which becomes irritated, not enough to do any harm but 
enough to set up a sub-acute inflammation that runs into a 
chronic. The result is cell proliferation of connective tissue 
which forms a fibrous pocket which gradually becomes accus- 
tomed to the growing calculus. The calculus does no particular 
harm unless it rolls out of the pocket. 

The "dust balls" usually form in animals feeding on mill 
cleanings from which they get dust and chaff of various kinds. 
These balls are light and usually round and of a black color, — 
most always black. Sometimes these balls form in considerable 
numbers, a half dozen in one animal. 

Stricture. — In this condition you must bear in mind that there 
is likely to be cell proliferation and inflammation. The forma- 
tion of fibrous tissue thickens the wall of the intestines and de- 
stroys its dilatability, producing more or less stenosis. Some do 
not reduce the size of the tube while others reduce it to almost 
nothing. Strictures of this kind might produce a fatal obstruc- 
tion in the bowels. 

Volvulus. — This is sometimes called gut-tie or gut-twist. 
The word means a turning around. There are two ways in which 
the volvulus occurs: 1. In one case a portion of the intestine 
seems to turn right around on itself, making from one to four 
turns ; this is fatal by strangulation. 2. In the second we have 
a rupture of the mesentery as a result of more or less degenera- 
tion, and in this degenerated condition if the horse rolls, a por- 
tion of the bowel passes through the rupture making a twist on 
each side of the hernia. This causes strangulation. This is 
fatal. 

Intussusception. — This is an invagination of a portion of a 
bowel into another portion of itself. This apparently should 
occur often, yet it does not, much to our surprise. It never oc- 
curs under normal conditions. In order to bring it about there 
must be a dilatation of a part, which is probably due to a minor 
amount of degeneration with relaxation, naturally causing the 
wall to dilate. When this takes place, the motion of the intes- 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 137 

tinal wall forces it right into the expanded part. It is seen most 
often in the ileum, a portion of which slips into itself or passes 
out through the ilio-cjecal valve into the colon. The coecum 
sometimes becomes inverted into the colon. The result is ob- 
struction of the bowel, and usually strangulation of both ends 
of the fold. This causes death through gangrene of the invag- 
inated part. 

Horses never recover from intussusception, but cattle some- 
times do. Other animals do not recover. It is always fatal in 
dogs. People sometimes recover in the same way as cattle do. 
This condition is comparatively common in babies but rare in 
adults. 

Semeiology of Intestinal Obstruction. — There are violent 
colicky pains and the case grows worse in spite of treatment. 
You may blunt the sensibilities with drugs but the disease grows 
steadily worse. Death usually takes place in 10-20 hours. There 
is a profuse perspiration ; haggard countenance ; occasional at- 
tempts to vomit ; animal is inclined to sit on his haunches ; 
strains as if trying to defecate ; apt to stretch a good deal ; al- 
ways some flatulence ; before death he becomes quite stupid. 

Treatment. — We can only recommend general principles and 
the first is a careful examination of the animal in hand, espe- 
cially in case of entire males. Stallions have been treated for 
colic when their trouble was hernia. When a stallion has colic 
always examine him carefully for inguinal hernia. Give oil 
ad libatum, a quart to start with and repeat in pint doses once or 
twice a day. Give rectal injections, cannabis indica, choral hy- 
drate, and morphia and counter-irri+ation to the abdomen. Give 
eserine, arecolin or barium chloride. 

Never neglect making a post-mortem examination on all ob- 
scure intestinal affections. 

EVERSION OF THE RECTUM. 

Definition. — This is a protrusion of the rectum through the 
anus. The mucous membrane may extend out from the size of a 
grape to several feet. It occurs in all animals. In parturient 



138 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

paresis in cows the rectum has been known to extend out 6 feet ; 
in dogs I have seen it protrude \ J / 2 feet. 

Etiology. — Constipation is the main cause. A dry season in 
pasture with the streams dried up, dry feed, etc., too little water 
— these conditions cause constipation and they are responsible 
for the results of it. Diarrhoea will sometimes cause a prolapsed 
rectum. Empirical treatment of colic such as a piece of soap 
inserted in the anus, cauterizing it and thickening it, may bring 
above this cnoidition. 

Treatment. — The tail must be bandaged and the protruding 
part be washed with warm water and milk, to which has been 
added laudanum y 2 ounce to the pint. Give the horse a liberal 
dose of chloral hydrate, 2 ounces for a 1,200 pound horse. This 
treatment will not paralyze but will blunt the sensibilities and 
relax the muscles (sphincter). Then try to replace the pro- 
truding part, using especial care not to wound the tissues. Use 
the palm of the hand. If the protruding portion is returned, in- 
ject more of the solution (milk and water). There are various 
means employed to keep the rectum in place, such as a rope 
twisted in the form of a truss ; some take two crucial stitches in 
the anus, but if the animal strains at all these will burst. The 
best way is to keep a man with his hand upon the part until it 
stays in place. This is expensive but it is the only practical way. 
The congestion will subside in 3-4 hours, although it may take 
10. The laudanum per rectum relieves the pain. You can use 
an ointment composed of petrolatum 8 parts and opium 1 part. 
The opium will overcome the peristalsis. In cows and dogs, 
when the bowels have been exposed for some time, the parts 
usually become gangrenous. In this case do not replace the gut, 
but excise the protruded part. Cut off the part \ J / 2 inches out- 
side the anus and then pull out the gut to get at the normal 
part. Cut off the remaining part so that the edges are normal 
tissue and suture the coats together, making the ridge on the 
inside, being careful to get the peritoneal coats in a position. Use 
the interrupted stitch. Before sewing sterilize the parts. After 
replacing pack with oakum. Give the animal sufficient opium to 
prevent defecation for three days. Then give a dose of oil and 
enemata, 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 139 

HEMORRHOIDS. 

A hemorrhoid or bleeding pile is a little tumor of the muc- 
ous membrane due to interrupted circulation by pressure from 
fecal matter. The fecal matter pressing upon the gut produces 
passive congestion in a localized part of the mucous membrane. 
Constipation is always the cause of piles. A portion of the anal 
rose is sometimes caught in the sphincter and pinched. This 
interrupts the circulation and forms external piles. If the piles 
are on the inside they are produced by the hard fecal pellets. 
Internal piles become chronic. The feces rub them and make 
them bleed, hence the hemorrhage. 

Semeiology. — The symptoms are bleeding and painful defeca- 
tion. The horse will switch his tail and the fecal matter is cov- 
ered with blood. In the human sometimes a severe hemorrhage 
occurs. The anus may be too small and contracted, making de- 
fecation difficult. If the feces are hard great harm may be 
done. 

When internal piles become chronic there is so much irrita- 
tion that it leads to a local inflammation of the rectal follicles an I 
runs through the first, second and third stages. If the abscess 
is not treated and cured it will ulcerate and perforate the bowel. 
In the horse the abscess is about two feet deep ; in the hog 3-5 
inches. It is not uncommon in hogs and in the human to see an 
opening on each side of the anus. In the horse the abscess may 
contain 3-4 quarts of pus. If the abscess is not opened it will 
rupture in from 10-30 days and become chronic. This is called 
an anal fistula. 

Treatment. — First overcome the constipation. This is often 
very difficult, especially in the human. In the domestic animals, 
loosen the bowels with oil and then diet. Give dose (big) of 
chloral hydrate; after a half hour dilate the anus with a specu- 
lum and explore. If hemorrhoids are found, remove. Use anti- 
septic solutions for 10 clays and keep the bowels open. Give 
salol. In case of external piles, remove in the same way, put- 
ting back only as a last resort. Sulphur ointments should be 
applied after each defecation. In the human astringents are re- 
lied upon but they are not much good. 



140 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

Imperforated anus sometimes occurs. The foetus may be born 
with the skin closed over the anus. In such case cut through 
and open up the rectum. Sometimes the rectum has to be sewed 
to the anus. 

RUPTURE OF THE INTESTINAL WALL. 

Rupture of the intestinal wall occurs occasionally but not 
as often as rupture of the stomach. It is usually caused by flat- 
ulence. The 'first attack very seldom ruptures a bowel and not 
very often the stomach, but repeated attacks lead to degeneration 
of some part which finally ruptures with much less provocation 
than may have existed some time before. The rectum is some- 
times ruptured by reckless force used in back-raking. 

Semeiology. — There are no diagnostic symptoms of this 
trouble but there will be pretty nearly the same symptoms as 
occur in case of rupture of the stomach. These are great nerv- 
ous prostration ; a small weak, rapid, hard pulse which finally 
gets wiry and imperceptible ; animal sweats in patches ; sits on 
his haunches. When the rupture is in the rectum there is usu- 
ally violent straining and the animal dies from syncope. Death 
usually occurs in from 2-10 or even 20 hours. 

The only positive proof of rupture of the bowel is the post 
mortem. 

Naturally there is no special treatment but since there are no 
diagnostic symptoms you have to treat the case until the animal 
dies. 

ENTERITIS. 

Enteritis is an inflammation of either the small or large bowel. 
We consider enteritis as a true inflammation but there are author- 
ities, writers and text-books that consider it more in the light of 
apoplexy. It usually comes on suddenly, runs a rapid course 
and terminates fatally. We do not believe that any cases of this 
disease ever recover but there are practitioners who claim to 
have cured many cases of it. Probably their cases were pro- 
longed cases of colic, perhaps with local irritation just develop- 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 141 

ing prior to the removal of the cause. It often affects primarily 
the mucous coat and extends outward to the muscular coat and 
then the serous. The ordinary case runs it course in 6-20 hours 
and dies. The inflammation is so violent and severely acute as 
to produce rupture of the capillaries with more or less hemor- 
rhage by rhexis. This results in extensive extravasations and 
great tumefaction. In the sheep, cow, and human cases of en- 
teritis may recover, but in the horse I think never. 

Semciology. — At first there is dullness and slight uneasiness ; 
the horse hangs his head, refuses his food, turns his head and 
looks around to one side ; he soon develops fever ; breathing ac- 
celerated ; pulse increases in frequency and hardness ; abdominal 
muscles are more or less contracted, for which reason the breath- 
ing will be more or less shallow ; pain upon pressing the belly. 
The horse will lie down, roll, kick and sweat, but in lying down 
he usually goes down very carefully, — unlike a horse with colic. 
Fever runs up to 104 or 105. The mucous membranes get very 
much injected and cyanotic. 

When the horse passes feces, which may be in the rectum, at 
the time of defecation, you will notice that the lining is very 
dark red. The animal develops a haggard, anxious countenance. 
After a severe case has been in progress for 4-5 hours, the pulse 
becomes rapid, small and hard, running somewhere between 70 
and 100. The horse ceases to lie down and walks continually 
if he is loose, with head elevated, eyes dazed, and stopping occa- 
sionally and sighing. When a horse sighs, it is almost a sure 
sign of a fatal termination. Horses never sigh except in the 
late stages of disease. The extremities get cold, horse gets stupid 
and loses sensibility to great extent. If the enteritis is in the 
small bowel the animal will sometimes vomit or try to ; as death 
approaches, the mucous membranes get livid ; he finally stops, 
stands quietly, pain seems to cease; pulse 100-120, probably 
imperceptible at the jaw ; breathing rapid, shallow, and the ex- 
pired air cold ; he sweats in patches and the muscles tremble. 
We presume that gangrene has set in and the horse is only wait- 
ing to die from nervous prostration. I do not think that such 
a case lives long enough to die from septicemia. The horse 
stands as long as he can until weakness overcomes him and then 



142 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

he drops and soon dies. He may live 48-60 hours with this 
disease but an ordinary case will run its course and terminate 
in 6 hours after the first symptoms are visible. 

Post Mortem: — Upon opening the bowel there is found 
patches of ecchymosis on the serous covering. The wall is 
greatly thickened in the average case j4 to Y/\. inches. The 
contents of the bowel are semi-fluid and bloody. This blood is 
from hemorrhage by rhexis. The thickened bowel wall will be 
infiltrated with serum and lymph. On the surface of the mucous 
membrane there will be a gelatinous coat of more or less coagu- 
lated lymph. The general appearance of the mucous membrane 
is very dark red, almost black. Other animals suffering from 
enteritis are usually very quiet, semi-stupid as it were. Pulse 
and temperature run about the same as in the horse. 

Treatment. — It is difficult to prescribe rationally for enter- 
itis for there are antagonizing conditions. Our best efforts, how- 
ever, should be directed toward removing the cause in the hope 
that if we succeed the effects will cease. As a logical reasoning 
for this conclusion, we will say that whatever the cause of enter- 
itis is if it is not removed, the horse will die. Consequently we 
want to get a free evacuation of the bowels and we treat as for 
constipation. Give oil in liberal quantities and eserine and are- 
colin. Give rectal injections, liberal counter-irritation, alcoholic 
stimulants, give anodynes liberally, such as chloral hydrate, can- 
nabis indica, etc., morphia not being so much indicated. In other 
animals besides the horse, opium is used freely, to quiet the 
bowel and suspend peristalsis and then give attention to reducing 
the fever. Such antipyretics as acetanilid are good, but in the 
horse the disease runs such a rapid course that we have not time 
for the drugs to act. We rely chiefly upon removing the cause 
and evacuating the bowels. It is always advisable to make a 
post mortem in a case of enteritis, especially so as to convince 
the owner that it was impossible to save the animal. 

In mild cases such remedies as camphor, aconite and bella- 
donna are indicated. Bleeding has been resorted to and has 
been found useless. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 143 

PERITONITIS. 

Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the lining 
membrane of the abdominal cavity. It covers the mesentery and 
is reflected over the intestines. This serous membrane becomes 
inflamed and the inflammation runs close to pleurisy. The stages 
are the same. Two forms of peritonitis exist, acute and 
chronic. The acute form runs its course in about 10 days, the 
chronic may run along for months. 

Etiology. — The most common cause is traumatism with in- 
fection. External violence, kicks from other horses for in- 
stance, especially those severe enough to produce ventral hernia ; 
exposure to cold and dampness ; strongylus armatus ; starvation ; 
old age (no appreciable cause known), — these are the main 
causes of peritonitis. In the third stage of peritonitis the effu- 
sion accumulates in the abdominal cavity and this condition is 
called ascites. Ascites may be due to chronic kidney and liver 
diseases without peritonitis, it being a dropsy from obstruction 
of the portal circulation or from defective secretion of the urine. 
It is sometimes tuberculous in cattle, and often follows castra- 
tions and abdominal operations. 

Semeiology. — Pain is severe but the animal is comparatively 
quiet. Motion aggravates the pain so that instead of rolling and 
tossing and kicking, the horse is quiet. His back is more or less 
arched ; abdominal muscles fixed ; pulse and temperature up, 
temperature about 104, pulse 60-100; pulse hard and small; pres- 
sure upon the belly causes pain. In the third stage the exudate 
is profuse. This is difficult to recognize as the distension of the 
belly is not marked. The legs swell ; dropsical enlargement under 
the belly is usually seen but not always. The mucous mem- 
branes are first injected and later get pale ; emaciation is rapid. 
The prognosis is usually unfavorable when the disease is exten- 
sive enough to be appreciable. 

Post Mortem. — Fatal cases of peritonitis have ascites so that 
the post mortem will show much serum in the abdominal cavity. 
This varies in color from amber to red, depending upon the 
acuteness of the attack. The peritoneum is generally red over 
most of the surface, is softened and easily torn or punctured. 



144 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

In a chronic case you will usually find the heart, liver or kidney 
diseased. 

Treatment. — We can prescribe for this condition in a ration- 
al manner. Control the fever with acetanilid, keep it down be- 
low two. Apply counter-irritants freely and repeat. A sina- 
pism 2 or 3 times a day is the best local application. Give mor- 
phine hypodermically and give a stimulant with liberal doses of 
aconite, quinine and belladonna. Keep the animal quiet; bear in 
mind that motion aggravates the trouble as well as increases the 
pain. 

Death from castration is usually due to septic peritonitis. 
Following a case of this kind you will usually have a swelling of 
the sheath and extreme redness of the wound. In addition to 
internal treatment and mustard on the belly, bathe the swollen 
parts freely and insert a disinfected hand up into the inguinal 
canal twice a day or so to make sure it is kept open. 

DYSENTERY. 

Dysentery is known as bloody flux. It is an inflammatory 
disease affecting the intestines and floating colon. The fever is 
of the same character as typhoid — a low prostrating form of 
fever. The discharges from the bowels are fluid, and contain 
an excess of mucous with some blood and pus and much fetor. 
These evacuations are accompanied by tenesmus of the rectum. 

Etiology. — The animal has a predisposition, i. e., is weak con- 
stitutionally. The cause is probably specific. Some think that 
malaria is a cause. Dysentery is most commonly seen in cattle 
which are pastured on land overflowed with water or on hay cut 
from such land. The hay contains much sand and no doubt 
many germs, some of a specific character and these may be the 
cause of the dysentery. The feed should be examined for 
molds, animal parasites, and bacteria. 

Semeiology. — Dysentery starts as a diarrhoea, but with a 
temperature of about 2 degrees. The prostration is greater than 
in diarrhoea. The coat is staring; almost complete loss of ap- 
petite ; excessive thirst ; tenesmus of the rectum ; back arched, 
all four feet brought nearer each other; tail cocked, head low- 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 145 

ered ; involuntary cramps and straining ; fecal matter is largely a 
jelly-like substance streaked with blood and has a fetid odor. 
This is due to the degeneration of the mucous follicles in the rec- 
tum which are ulcerated. The molecular death (decomposition) 
causes the stench ; sulphuretted hydrogen gas is formed. The 
tissues blacken a silver probe. 

Prognosis. — There is a tendency to a fatal termination. The 
diagnosis should be guarded. If the disease lasts a week or ten 
days marasmus takes place, emaciation and nervous prostration 
develop very rapidly and death results from collapse. 

Post Mortem. — The lining of the rectum is of a purple color 
and very much swollen ; it shows numerous little elevations which 
upon closer examination prove to be ulcers. They look like 
papules. In young stock there would be general pallor of all 
the membranes. 

Treatment. — Prescribe a complete change of food. This is 
all important. Give the best obtainable food and see that the 
water is pure. Give linseed tea with a little bicarbonate of soda. 
Laxatives are not indicated. Quiet the rectum by starch and 
laudanum injections with a 10 per cent solution of boracic acid 
added. Give opium internally by mouth and tonic doses of 
quinine. Salol and bismuth are good remedies. Allay cramps 
by hypodermic injections of morphine. Chloroform combined 
with opium and camphor are indicated. 

It is all important to give attention to hygiene. 

DISEASES OF THE ABDOMINAL GLANDS. 

LIVER-SPLEEN-PANCREAS. 

Diseases of the liver in the lower animals are less common 
than in the human, but when they do exist they are probably just 
as serious. The lower animals lead more natural lives and are 
less given to dissipation and therefore they are less given to dis- 
ease. They are accustomed to eat what is given them and drink 
what is provided them and keep more natural hours. In the 
human this is very different. Many of the liver diseases in the 
human arise from alcoholic drinks in excess. 



146 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

The phenomena of the liver diseases are as follows: 

1. Jaundice or icterus. This is a general 

yellowness of all parts of the body. 
It shows in the visible mucous mem- 
branes and in the skin, i. e., in the hu- 
man. 

2. Lameness — in very serious acute dis- 

eases of the liver the horse oftentimes 
is lame in his right forward quarter, 
Occasionally he has colicky pains. 

3. Bilious diarrhoea, if the liver is work- 

ing excessively. 

4. Feces gray, in case of torpidity of the 

liver. 

5. General listlessness. 

6. Diarrhoea. 

CONGESTION OF THE LIVER. 

We recognize three congestions of the liver : 

1. Active congestion, involving the hepatic 

arterial system, — the nutrient system. 

2. Passive congestion, involving the venous 

or portal system. 

3. Biliary congestion. 

Bear in mind that there are two distinct circulations in the 
liver, the arterial and the portal or biliary. 

In the hepatic arterial system we find that there is an in- 
creased flow of blood to the normal liver during the active stage 
of digestion. This is normal of course, but in disease there is 
an excess of blood at other times than that of digestion. 

Etiology of Active Congestion. — Over- feeding on nitrogenous 
food is a principle cause. This makes an animal plethoric. This 
alone without any exciting cause is liable to develop hepatic ar- 
terial congestion at any time. Exercise, especially when an ani- 
mal is in a gross condition during hot weather excites a condition 
of congestion. It is seen in horses that are pampered and very 
liberally fed and more or less idle. Over-feeding with too little 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 



147 



work results in rupture of some of the smaller blood vessels of 
the liver and as a consequence hemorrhage. This hemorrhage 
is not sufficient to do any harm with a first or second attack, for 
the ruptured vessels heal and the clot becomes absorbed, leaving 
an anaemic patch, usually white. These patches can be seen on 
the surface of the liver under the capsule. These may vary in 
size from V± inch to % inch in diameter. They are old chronic 
infarcts. These are common in old cattle and occasionally in 
horses. 

In a more severe case rupture of the larger blood vessels oc- 
curs ; the hemorrhage is greater, and if it is a third or subsequent 
attack, degeneration takes place to a greater or less extent. Con- 
sequently the infarction and hemorrhage are greater. Sometimes 
rupture of the capsule takes place with a fatal internal hemorr- 
hage. 

Etiology of Passive Congestion (Portal). — This depends 
mostly upon enervation, that is, nervous prostration of the 
animal. This is the principal cause of portal congestion. General 
enervation is seen in influenza, pneumonia and in other affections. 
The liver gets torpid and does not work as actively as it should. 
The bile is not secreted in proper quantity and biliary capillaries 
become congested, probably as a result of defective cardiac power. 
The congestion produces pressure upon the liver lobules, inter- 
fering with the outward flow of the bile through the minute bile 
ducts. 

In case of pneumonia there is a different pathogenesis. 
There is a defective cardiac power. In all bad cases of pneumonia 
there is more or less obstruction of the arterial circulation in the 
lungs. This is especially so in the third stage, and the obstructed 
circulation dams up the outlet and leads to dilatation of the right 
ventricle, which in turn prevents the blood from leaving the liver. 
Consequently in most cases of pneumonia on about the fourth day 
we get considerable jaundice. 

In chronic diseases of the kidneys there is an insufficiency of 
secreting substance, and consequently an insufficient secretion of 
the urine. This leads to ascites. 

Biliary Congestion. — Biliary congestion occurs secondary to 
the active or the passive. It is a direct result of pressure upon 



148 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

the lobules and bile ducts. Then absorption of the bile takes place 
and we get a jaundiced condition. 

Post Mortem. — In passive and biliary congestions the liver 
is darker than normal, — in streaks or in spots, usually in streaks. 
There are fine yellow markings. These are the surcharged bil- 
iary ducts. 

Semeiology. — Listlessness is an important symptom. In ac- 
tive congestion pressure over the region of the liver will often 
cause pain. The horse or other animal will try to get away from 
one. Jaundiced mucous membranes are a sign ; feces are usually 
dry, or after a period of constipation there may be a slight diar- 
rhoea; mouth coated and has a soapy feel and a sour smell. In 
bad cases the animal grinds his teeth. In chronic cases the ani- 
mal is hungry for salines. He will eat dirt, lick the wall, and 
chew the manger. Pulse and temperature will not vary much 
from the normal, unless the trouble is secondary to some other 
disease. In bad cases the appetite is poor and the animal gets 
unthrifty. 

Treatment. — Treat according to the cause. If the hepatic 
disturbance is secondary to some other disease, treat the original 
disease. If the original trouble is in the liver, let the treatment 
center there. In case of a fat horse, let him fast. Give him a 
purgative, calomel and bicarbonate of soda. When you get re- 
sults from these begin on some acid mixture, nitric acid. If 
there is no anaemia, give sulphate of soda night and morning for 
a week or two and regulate the diet and exercise. 

HEPATITIS. 

Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. It runs through the 
three stages of inflammation and goes on to suppuration in the 
form of liver abscesses. This condition cannot be diagnosed dur- 
ing life. 

Semeiology. — The symptoms are general unthriftiness ; lan- 
guor, animal unable to do much ; the disease does not usually kill 
unless the abscess is large and ruptures internally. If the inter- 
nal rupture takes place, the disease will terminate in pyaemia in 
fifty to a hundred days. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 149 

Post Mortem. — The capsule of the liver is thickened due to 
cell proliferation. The interlobular connective tissues is also 
thickened. Liver abscesses are usually associated with some 
other disease as glanders, strangles, etc. 

CHRONIC HEPATITIS. 

This is seen in one or two degenerations of the organ, viz. 
cirrhosis and fatty degeneration. Cirrhosis of the liver is the 
result of a subacute running into a chronic inflammation of the 
liver, affecting the interlobular fibrous connective tissue. The 
liver is large and hardened and the edges are rounded and thick- 
ened. The color is lighter than normal, more of a bluish color 
than the usual brick red. This condition is found in old animals 
which are starving because their teeth are too poor to grind the 
food given them. 

Special Pathology. — Hypertrophy of the connective tissue pro- 
duces pressure upon the biliary ducts and lobules and as a result 
we find yellow markings through the liver. The liver is brown 
in patches and the lobules are anaemic. The capsule is as hard 
as cartilage. This produces pressure upon the veins and portal 
circulation causing ascites. The word cirrhosis comes from the 
Greek kirros, meaning orange-yellow and refers to the yellow 
condition of the liver which is the result of the 'fibrous condition. 
This hardening may be applied to any organ but it more properly 
belongs to the liver. The hypertrophy of the connective tissue 
may produce atrophy of the parenchyma, that is, the epithelial 
cells which make up the lobules. It is often the primary lesion 
of ascites of old dogs. 

Treatment. — This should be directed toward putting the ani- 
mal in a better condition. Attend to its teeth, give him better 
and more easily digested food; give him potassium acid tartrate 
in his feed. 



150 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

FATTY DEGENERATION. 

Fatty degeneration of the liver occurs in fat-pampered horses 
and dogs. The liver of a dog with ascites may be five times the 
natural size. In such a case the liver is large, soft and yellow 
and there is jaundice. The dog is fat and weak. 

Treatment. — Reduce the artificial heat; decrease the amount 
of food and increase the work gradually. Sheep develop fatty 
degeneration if fed on non-nitrogenous food, such as white tur- 
nips. In such a case prescribe pea-meal and oats. The liver is 
large and yellow ; miscropical examination shows fat globules 
in the liver cells; many of the lobules are transformed into fat. 
The animal may die from fatty degeneration of the liver at- 
tended by a rapid loss of flesh and strength following a prior 
period of thriftiness. 

ICTERUS. 

Icterus is a yellow condition of the whole system. This is 
caused by two factors: 1. Suppression (non-secretion of the 
bile) ; 2. Reabsorption of the bile. These two conditions may be 
differentiated by the presence or absence of biliary acids in the 
urine. These are glycocholic and taurocholic acids. When these 
acids are found in the urine they are a sure sign of reabsorption 
of the bile ; when they are absent from the urine, it means that no 
bile has been secreted by the liver, that is, suppression. 

Test for Biliary Acids in the Urine. — Put a dram of urine in 
a test-tube and in it dissolve a little cane sugar. To this add 
carefully so as not to mix a dram of sulphuric acid, holding the 
tube slanting ?o that the acid passes down under the urine. If 
biliary acids are present, a deep purple band will form between 
the urine and the sulphuric acid ; if not, a brown band will form. 
In case the acids are present it is a sure indication of obstructed 
bile ducts and a consequent reabsorption. If the brown band is 
the reaction, then this is a sign of suppression. 

Etiology of Suppression. — Enervation is an important factor. 
It occurs in the disordered hepatic circulation of cirrhosis, in 
tuberculosis, actinomycosis, fatty degeneration, etc, 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 151 

Etiology of Reabsorption. — This condition is clue to obstruc- 
tion of the bile channels. The obstruction may be : 

1. Ductus choledochous — biliary calculus. 

2. Tumefaction of the mucous membrane 

of the duodenum, probably from local 
inflammation, obstructing the outlet 
of the duct. 

3. Stenosis — stricture and obliteration of 

the duct. 

4. Tumors in the duct. 

5. Pressure upon the duct from without. 

6. Parasites. The ones most commonly 

found are the ascaris megalocephalus 
and the fasciola heptaica. The first 
is found in the horse, ox and sheep ; 
the other found in any animal. 
Semeiology. — In absorption of the bile there is general yel- 
lowness of all parts of the body. The icterus is much greater 
than when due to suppression. The urine is high-colored; feces 
gray and offensive ; mouth feels pasty and soapy ; smells sour ; 
usually a loss of appetite, not always, in bad cases the tem- 
perature rises on the 3rd day; by the 5tb day the temperature 
will be up to 106 ; pulse increasing slowly, 60 by the 5th day ; 
itching of the skin, horse rubs himself raw in patches ; skin gets 
thick and wrinkly ; scurfy with desquamation of the epidermis. 
On the neck the skin lies in rolls size of finger. There is a dis- 
tinct labored action of the right shoulder. There is constipation 
and the urine is scanty, syrupy and golden colored. The animal 
becomes emaciated, anaemic and finally dies from blood poison- 
ing. 

In suppression there is a less yellowness of the mucous mem- 
branes, and even this is pretty much the only symptom except in 
chronic cases due to absence of secreting substance, then there is 
general unthriftiness. 

Treatment. — In reabsorption get rid of the obstruction. Pur- 
gation is indicated; for a horse of 1,600 prescribe six powders of 
calomel (1 dram) and bicarbonate soda (1 dram), one powder 
every two hours. Give these powders while the horse is fasting, 



152 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

then two hours after the last powder give 1 ounce of aloes. Let 
the horse have plenty of water, but nothing to eat. Twenty- 
hours after giving the ball let him have soft feed and hay. When 
the purgation ceases give alterative doses of magnesia sulphate, 
or soda sulphate, night and morning for two weeks and then start 
in on quinine and nitro-muriatic acid with nux vomica. 

Quinine Sulphate 2y 2 drams 

Ac. Nitro-Mur 1 dram 

Aqua q. s 1 pint 

M. Sig. — Give 1 ounce two or three times a day 

one-half hour before feeding, with the object of 

dissolving any biliary calculi. 

Do something for the itching. Acetic acid dilute (1 ounce) 
to a pint of water will make a good lotion. When applying, 
leave wet. In hot weather put on a sheet; in cold, a blanket. 
Tie the animal so that he cannot rub. The absorption of the bile 
into the blood poisons it and causes the itching. 

In case sheep suffer from flukes, change to a higher better 
drained pasture. 

Spleen. 

The spleen is subject to the various organic changes which 
take place in other tissues, such as congestion, inflammation, 
atrophy, hypertrophy, thrombosis, tuberculosis, carcinoma, mela- 
nosis, etc. The symptoms of disease of the spleen are negative. 

Case of Lymphadenoma in a Horse. — The case was a draft 
stallion weighing 2,200 pounds, aged 5 years. He was sold in 
February and began serving in April and did good service up to 
June. The animal began getting languid and listless and in a 
month's time would not serve at all. He got cross and irritable, 
lazy, and emaciation set in. He ran down rapidly. He died the 
last of July a mere skeleton. The post mortem revealed a spleen 
weighing about 60 pounds. The organ was 6 inches thick and 
the surface was studded with numerous little tumors which ap- 
peared to be fibrous tissue. The horse was sold as a sound ani- 
mal ; suit was instigated to recover, but the owner lost, 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 153 

PANCREAS. 

The pancreas is most commonly affected with fatty degenera- 
tion, but that is very seldom. One of the evidences is fat in the 
feces, probably due to faulty action of the pancreatic juice. 

The symptoms are indefinite and are not diagnostic. The 
animal is anaemic and shows irritability and dies much emaciated 
from collapse. 

CONSTITUTIONAL OR BLOOD DISEASES. 

A constitutional disease is one in which the whole system or 
blood is affected primarily, and if the disease localizes itself it 
does so secondarily. The exogenous diseases are contagious ; the 
endogenous are non-contagious. 

The word "contagious" refers to a disease that is due to a 
specific virus peculiar to the disease itself. The agent of the 
disease is called the contagium. 

If an animal is affected with a contagious disease, the spe- 
cific virus of that disease inoculated into another susceptible ani- 
mal will produce the disease. There are different means of in- 
oculation : 

1. Artificial — scarify the skin and intro- 

duce the virus. 

2. Natural — exposure through the alimen- 

tary tract, respiratory, or through any 
mucous membrane or abraided sur- 
face, or accidental wound. 
The contagium or specific virus in most contagious diseases 
is a known micro-organism — an animal parasite (protozoon) or a 
vegetable parasite (bacterium). In not all contagious diseases 
has the specific virus been found. In such cases we cannot call 
the causal agent a micro-organism, and yet we can reasonably 
presume it to be one or else the disease would not be specific. 

As regards the difference between bacteria and protozooa, 
Sternberg gives a concise definition : The animal organism, that 
is a protozoon, receives food particles into the interior of the 
body assimilating the nutritious portion, and subsequently ex- 



154 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

truding the non-nutritious residue. A vegetable organism is 
nourished through the cell wall, which encloses the protoplasm, 
by organic or inorganic substances held in solution. This defi- 
nition allows the vegetable organism both organic and inorganic 
food. 

The discovery of the various agents of contagious diseases has 
produced the germ theory. This is as follows : 

When a specific germ of a specnic disease is inoculated into a 
healthy animal, it will produce that same specific disease and no 
other. The period of incubation is the time elapsing between the 
inoculation and the first physical signs of the disease. This may 
be called the incubative stage. 

VARIOLA. 

Variola is a specific disease affecting all higher animal life, but 
each species of animal has its own kind of variola and this is 
communicable to all other species. The human variola is the 
small pox ; equine is the horse pox ; bovine, cow pox or vaccina ; 
then we have goat pox, pig pox, chicken pox, etc., but every pox 
is contagious. 

Course. — Variola runs through four definite stages; viz. 1. 
Pimple ; 2. Vesicle ; 3. Pustule ; and 4. Scab. Prior to the phys- 
ical manifestations of the pox, there is probably a little fever, es- 
pecially in the lower animals. In the human the pox is fre- 
quently fatal as is the case in black pox. In the lower animals 
the pox is mild. This disease is non-recurrent ; one attack rend- 
ers an animal permanently immune. Chicken pox may render 
some little degree of immunity in the human, and cow pox most 
certainly does. Vaccination is based upon the 

1. Intercommunicability of the disease. 

2. Non-recurrence of the disease. 

History of Vaccination. — Dr. Edward Jenner, an English 
country practitioner, discovered the principles of vaccination. He 
was the first to notice that the milkmaids did not take the small 
pox, that the}'- were practically immune. In 1768 he discovered 
the reason why. He examined cows and people and found that 
the cows frequently had kine pox. He began inoculating people 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 



155 



with the serum of the kine vesicles in 1796. He met with such 
success that he announced his discovery to the world in 1798. 
Vaccination was introduced into America in ] 800. It has proved 
so successful that the adoption of it has become world wide. 

The specific cause of variola has never been found. 

Etiology. — There is nothing known about the cause of pox. 
The disease has proved to be of a specific nature, and is more 
than likely due to some germ, but the causal agent has not yet 
been demonstrated. 

Course. — Variola equina runs through four well defined 
stages, pimple, vesicle, pustule and scab. The pimple stage is 
short, about 24 hours. The vesicles contain serum which is thin, 
clear and transparent. About the second day it begins to get 
cloudy and the fourth day pustules form. Coagulation of the 
lymph and drying of the skin make the scab. This desquamates 
about the 21st day, leaving an oval shallow circular red pit. 
Equine variola usually attacks the mouth first, then spreads over 
the lips, cheeks, neck and shoulders and continues down the legs. 
Contagious stomatitis may be a form of variola. In case of in- 
fection from stomatitis use continuous applications of a 2 per 
cent solution of formaldehyde. 

Treatment. — Wash the mouth with potassium chlorate, or so- 
dium biborate solution. Keep a special watering bucket for the 
animal and keep him separate from the other animals. Thor- 
oughly disinfect the stable after recovery. 

Sheep sometimes die from variola. 

Occasionally equine variola is enzootic. In such a case horses 
become infected after being fed or watered from contaminated 
food or water. In 1877 an outbreak occurred in Montreal and 
the stable men in several places contracted the disease. 

ANTHRAX. 

Anthrax has various different names. The French call it 
Charbon; the Germans, Milzb'rand; other names are Splenic fever, 
W oolsorter 3 s disease, Putrid fever, Petaechial typhus; in East 
India it is called Loodiana disease, in South Africa, Horse sick- 
ness, in the Highlands of Scotland it is called Braxy. Some 
writers call it contagious carbuncle. In the human subject, when 



156 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

anthrax is due to inoculation through a wound, it is called malig- 
nant pustule. 

Anthrax is essentially malignant. As a rule it develops 
without any swellings or external manifestations, although there 
may be swelling. All warm blooded animals are subject to it. 
At one time it was thought that the birds and fowls did not have 
it, but this is erroneous. The disease usually runs a rapid fatal 
course, sometimes killing in 12-24 hours. In the horse many 
mild cases recover, but the recovery is slow. Some never fully 
get over the disease. A notable case of anthrax among fast 
horses, pacers and trotters was related by Dr. Baker. They may 
recover, but they never recover their former usefulness. They 
may have a wabbly gait. 

Anthrax has been known from time immemorial. In the 
siege of Troy, animals are recorded as having died of anthrax. 
The people ate the animals and 60,000 of them died. It occurs 
epizootically and enzootically. 

Etiology. — The cause of anthrax is the bacillus anthracis. It 
was discovered by two Frenchmen in 1850 — Rayer and Davaine. 
The disease is communicable from animal to animal and from 
animal to people. The germs may be taken in through any 
channel, but most often by the mouth through food. The germs 
can enter any abraided surface, wounded skin, etc. In case of a 
skin wound the part should be excised. People can get malig- 
nant pustule through handling dirty rags, etc. Whether the 
animal dies from the disease or not depends upon the conditions 
of immunity. The course of the disease depends upon: 

1. The natural immunity of the animal. 

2. Strength of the culture, that is the 

amount of attenuation of the germs. 

3. Number of germs inoculated. 

The period of incubation is short — may be four hours. The 
disease is non-recurrent. One attack renders immunity to an 
animal. Pasteur proved this to be true and because of his in- 
vestigations we now practice vaccination against it. He used 
broth as a culture medium and kept it at a temperature of 42 
degrees C. He found tnat the germs died in a monthl When he 
introduced the broth into a healthy animal, it produced a consti- 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 157 

tutional fever. Pasteur experimented upon sheep, using two 
or three inoculations a week apart, and after the reaction of the 
fever, he found that the sheep were immune. This immunity 
usually developed after the second inoculation. Koch claimed 
that a hypodermic inoculation of anthrax would not immunize an 
animal from the natural infection ; he further claimed that the 
germs were dead in a degenerated carcass, but he was not cor- 
rect. There is no doubt that germs have infected people in car- 
casses two or three years old. Koch has immortalized himself, 
but he has made so many ridiculous announcements that he has 
lost caste amongst modern pathologists. 

Horses get anthrax by grazing on lands flooded the previous 
spring. The streams are liable to contain a decomposing carcass 
which carries the germs. The disease may come through the 
food, through the flies, stings, etc. 

Semeiology. — Some cases of anthrax develop external tumors. 
When the disease takes the form of apoplexy there is no swelling. 
In case of splenic apoplexy the animal dies suddenly. 

The first thing noticeable is a high temperature, which in 3-4 
days runs up to 106. The visible mucous membranes become 
cyanotic, due to the disorganization of the blood. Weakness is 
progressive and rapid. A few hours before death the animal 
staggers, then goes down, dying from syncope. 

Pos$ Mortem. — The tissues show petechias or ecchymoses. 
The blood spots are local hemorrhages. The spleen is large and 
black, and full of coagulated blood. If the spleen is suspended 
the contents will gravitate, this is diagnostic of anthrax. Upon 
opening the heart the blood will be found to be black, thick, and 
non-coagulated. The liver will be congested, also the kidneys, and 
the fat around them will be ecchymotic. These are the only 
lesions found post mortem. Anthrax is wholly a blood disease 
and it is a good plan to corroborate the diagnosis by a blood ex- 
amination. Inoculate a small laboratory animal with some of 
the blood, spleen, kidney, etc., to see if anthrax develops. In 
making a post mortem, always remember that the disease will 
attack the doctor as well as any one else. Use rubber gloves, 
keep the flies away. Do not allow the carcass to be skinned, 
burn it. If it must be buried, cover it with unslaked lime and 



158 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

5 feet deep. Otherwise the earth worms will bring the germs 
to the surface and infect the animals grazing near by. 

Treatment. — If the case is the first one diagnosed, then treat 
the fever and when the animal dies, as he surely will, hold a post 
mortem. If the post mortem confirms the diagnosis, then quar- 
antine against the source of infection. No medical treatment will 
touch anthrax. You can vaccinate, however. Get the printed 
directions which come with the virus and follow them carefully. 
Make sure of your diagnosis before saying anything. Inoculate 
laboratory animals, and if they die examine their blood micro- 
scopically. If it is anthrax you will find the bacilli in large 
numbers. The fat around the kidneys is the same as in Texas 
fever. The blood of anthrax is not like that of any other disease , 
it is like tar 

RABIES. 

The name rabies is derived from the Latin rabere, to rave. 
In the human subject it is called hydrophobia. This word means 
dread of water, but the disease is the same as in any other ani- 
mal. Water sets the human patient into paroxysms, but so would 
anything else. Rabies is a peculiar contagious disease. It pre- 
sents its symptoms through the nervous system in the form of 
paroxysms which are invariably fatal. All warm blooded ani- 
mals are subject to it. The virus seems to live in the saliva, but 
an emulsion of brain or spinal cord of a rabid animal will produce 
the disease when inoculated into another animal. Other parts, 
such as the blood, feces, etc., when inoculated, give negative re- 
sults. The rabid virus may be absorbed through a wound. It is 
usually easy to trace the origin of the disease. We regard the 
history of every case important. 

Etiology. — It was formerly supposed that dogs go mad by 
reason of a spontaneous development of certain conditions, such 
as deprivation of water, confinement, ungratified passion, etc., 
but recent investigations show that rabies may occur in any dog 
and in any place, the one thing needful being a bite from a rabid 
animal. Bites around the head are much more dangerous than 
when located in other places. Pasteur states that only one out 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 159 

of five bitten by rabid animals develops the disease. So far as 
the specific virus is concerned, we do not know much about it, 
but the agent must be large for it can be filtered out from the 
saliva. The so-called Negri bodies are a phenomenon of this 
disease. In 1903 Negri discovered the small bodies in the nervous 
tissues of rabid animals. They can be seen under the scope in 
the form of little granular oval or round masses which stain red. 
They are found in the substance of the brain, especially in the 
horn of Ammon. Investigation of these bodies is being con- 
ducted in many laboratories and all reports do not agree as to 
the importance of these bodies from a diagnostic standpoint. 
They have been found in animals not diagnosed as having rabies, 
but such diagnosis was not positive. 

Prof. Negri, Dr. Lagorio (Chicago), and Dr. Frothingham 
(Boston) have done much work on the subject of rabies. Dr. 
Frothingham claims that these bodies are a positive evidence of 
rabies. 

So far as the deprivation of water is concerned, any animal 
will develop a fever when deprived of water. Statistics prove 
that we have more rabies in the fall and winter than in the 
summer and the temperature has nothing to do with it. 

The period of incubation may be as short as a week, and it 
runs an indefinite length of time. Rabies may be traced to a 
bite 6 months past. The incubation period averages 28-35 days. 
The periods are the same in all animals. 

• Semeiology. — Horse. The first thing noticed is nervousness. 
There is an unnatural twitching of the muscles of the face and 
the patient is irritable, inclined to bite his attendant. He drinks 
slowly and on the second day cannot drink at all. He shakes his 
head, breaks the bucket, etc., and does not eat because of the par- 
alysis of the muscles of deglutition. The horse grows constantly 
more restless and has spasmodic fits of kicking; makes attempts 
to bite, but does not really do so. 

According to the severity of the attack paralysis sets in 
sooner or later and the animal staggers until he goes down in a 
fit of unconsciousness. 

The bitten part seems to itch and the horse rubs his wound 
against the stall. If the wound is on a leg, the animal nibbles the 



160 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

part, bites it, tears it, wounding himself severely. There is no 
fever, the animal dies comatose. Death occurs about the fifth 
day. The course and termination of this disease indicates that 
it is specific. The symptoms in other animals will be taken up 
by Dr. White and Dr. Wright. 

Differential Diagnosis. — There is no danger in making a mis- 
taken diagnosis for no other disease resembles it. In the horse 
cerebro-spinal meningitis has some similar symptoms. In the 
dog acute indigestion must be differentiated. Dogs vomit in 
indigestion, but not in rabies. Because a dog bites, he is not 
necessarily mad. He will bite in case of worms, brain trouble, 
etc. In dog practice it is sometimes difficult to make a diagnosis 
between the diseases of the brain and those of the stomach. 

Treatment. — Rabies is always fatal, consequently medicinal 
treatment is useless and the only thing is preventive treatment. 

Pasteur discovered the efficacy of inoculating an animal with 
attenuated virus. He inoculated chicken broth with attenuated 
saliva of a rabid dog (saliva was old) and it gave no results. 
Then he inoculated a rabbit with an emulsion of the brain of a 
rabid dog; then he used the inoculated animal to inoculate the 
next and so on until he had inoculated 50. He found that the 
50th attenuation was very mild in action, and when an emulsion 
from such an animal was used, it was slower to act. He used 
attenuations of the 50th degree up to the 12th, making the inocu- 
lations 3 or 4 days apart, and this course of treatment produced 
immunity. 

The Pasteur treatment as carried out today is practically 
the same. An emulsion of spinal cord of a rabbit is used and 
kept in the incubator for 3 days at 70° F when it is sufficiently 
attenuated. This attenuated virus is used for the inoculation. 
Dr. Lagoria inoculates for 21 days, using a 3rd day attenuation 
for 3 days, 2nd day attenuation for 5 days, etc. If the bite oc- 
curs on the face or neck, the treatment should be given immedi- 
ately. In all cases it should begin by the 3rd day. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 16i 

GLANDERS. 

Glanders or farcy (French, La Morve; German, Rotzkrank- 
heit) is a specific inflammation especially characteristic of the 
equine species, horses and asses. It is communicable to the 
human, dogs and cats. It has recently been found that it could 
be inoculated into the bovine species. Bovines are generally con- 
sidered to be immune. Glanders is considered a fatal disease. 
Some mild cases can possibly be cured, but these are infrequent. 

External glanders refers to the specific eruption of the 
Schneiderian membrane ; internal glanders attacks the invisible 
mucous membranes such as those of the larynx, trachea, bronchi, 
etc., and the lungs in the form of interstitial "pneumonia, the 
liver and. internal lymphatic glands. 

Farcy is an eruption of the external lymphatics and ducts. It 
is spoken of as cutaneous glanders. In all fatal cases of either 
glanders or farcy the one runs into the other. A horse seldom 
dies from the one form of lesion without the other appearing. 
The disease runs two courses, acute, and chronic (subacute). 
The acute form kills in 3-6 weeks, although the horse might run 
along for a longer time ; the chronic form lasts indefinitely. 

The disease is as old as anthrax. It was described under the 
head of malleus in the fourth century. The French wrote about 
it in 1618. LaFosse, in 1749 said it was a spontaneous disease 
and described it as ulceration of the mucous membranes. It ex- 
ists quite generally in the uncivilized world as well as the civ- 
ilized. 

Etiology. — The specific germ of glanders called the bacillus 
malleus was discovered by LoefHer and Schultz in 1882. These 
men were members of the German board of health. The germs 
are found in the discharges of glanders and farcy. With them 
are also found many other bacteria. 

Semeiology. — The earliest symptoms are fever and diabetes 
insipidus. These symptoms are not usually noticed unless the 
horse is a valuable one and is observed to miss a meal or two. 
The horse may show so marked polyuria as to partially flood the 
stable. He has a good appetite, but in spite of it he loses flesh 
rapidly. He is not sick long before a nasal discharge begins in 



162 THEORY AMD PRACTICE 

the form of a red limpid serum mixed with mucus. After a few 
days this becomes muco-purulent and streaked with blood. If 
you look into his nose you will notice a red local swelling elevated 
at least % inch. This is the pustule of glanders, and when it 
ruptures the hemorrhage causes the pus to be bloody. The 
mucus from the nose is of a catarrhal nature, coagulated and 
starchy. It has no actual diagnostic appearance, but it is sus- 
picious because of its resemblance to melted butter. This sticky 
discharge accumulates around the rim of the nostrils and dries 
there more or less. This interferes with the respiration. The 
horse blows his nose and a stringy discharge flips up and lodges 
on the side of the face where it attracts dust and dirt. The 
glandered horse always has a dirty face. The stall also will 
be just as dirty. You can always tell a glandered horse's stall. 

In the course of a week the submaxillary lymphatics will 
swell. They catch the debris and germs. As a rule they do 
not suppurate. This symptom is not diagnostic, for you get the 
same in chronic catarrh. 

The pustule in the nostril ruptures, eventually ulcerates. The 
ulcer has an elevated, ridged edge with a depressed center. Ulti- 
mately the whole mucous membrane of the nose has a mouse 
eaten appearance. In a mild case, especially if the pustules form 
high up in the nostril, the air passages become constricted and 
we get wdieezy breathing, but this is not diagnostic. 

Cough, accelerated breathing and pneumonia are the next 
symptoms. The pneumonia is interstitial because it involves the 
interlobular connective tissue. The lining of the bronchi becomes 
ulcerated. In the course of a week we get cuticular manifesta- 
tions, particularly in the inguinal region and at times in the pec- 
toral. The legs are doughy and the nodular swellings discharge 
and ulcerate. These ulcers do not heal, but remain in a state of 
continual discharge until death. 

In such a condition the horse is dejected, hangs his head and 
looks miserable. The discharge from the nose may become some- 
what offensive in a late stage. The animal dies from collapse. 
During the whole course of the disease the fever stays up to 102° 
to 104° or even more. The pulse is increased in frequency and 
decreased in size and strength. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 163 

111 subacute glanders a chronic discharge from the nose is 
usually the first thing noticed. It is of the same character as 
that in the acute only not so exaggerated. The case runs along 
with no other symptoms except the discharge and the enlarge- 
ment of the submaxillary lymphatics. Such a case may keep up 
indefinitely if well cared for. But during all this time the horse 
is sowing the germs of the disease everywhere he goes. The 
termination of a chronic case is a sudden development of the 
acute form. This comes from exposure such as an animal would 
get on board ship or in the army, or even poorly ventilated stables 
may be a cause or hardship of any kind, exposure to a cold storm, 
etc. 

Acute Farcy. — This form of glanders starts with abscesses 
in the lymphatics. They begin as small nodules about the size 
of a hazel nut and suppurate, rupture, discharge and ulcerate. 
The legs swell and eventually the eruption involves the greater 
portion of the body. The condition grows worse rapidly and after 
2-4 weeks the case runs its course and acute glanders develops. 

Chronic Farcy. — In a mild form the inflammatory areas on 
the leg become indurated while small nodules spring up in other 
parts. The course is slow. Many of the ulcers heal, leaving 
hairless scars. Sometimes the farcy buds come up on the head 
and neck pretty thick; they heal and leave scars. Such a case 
may continue for years until some unfavorable condition develops 
to produce a severe exacerbation. 

Besides the conditions previously mentioned, severe purgation 
may bring on a sudden development of acute glanders. In this 
climate chronic glanders runs its course in about 3 years, but in 
North Dakota and Montana it may run along for 10 years or 
more. 

How is the disease carried? The usual port of entrance is 
thought to be the alimentary tract. The virus may be absorbed 
from any mucous surface or through any abrasion of the skin. 
Feed boxes, drinking places and hitching posts are sources of in- 
fection. A glandered horse is prone to rub his nose and the 
sticky discharge therefrom contaminates everything it comes in 
contact with. Dogs discharge much more freely than the horse. 
They carry the glanders germs from one place to another. 



164 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

The period of incubation of glanders may be as short as a 
week. This is difficult to estimate for we do not know what time 
the case was infected. 

Treatment. — All kinds of treatment have been tried but they 
are all a failure. It is useless to attempt to give medicine and 
it only endangers the life of the attendant. Destroy all glandered 
horses. In order to do this you must get the consent of the 
owner or else fall back upon the state. The state law must be 
given liberal consideration. You cannot take a man's property 
from him without due process of law. In case the owner objects, 
go to the state's attorney and find out what action to take. Quar- 
antine the premises in the interest of the public health if the 
owner is obstinate.- The quarantine can be maintained indefi- 
nitely. 

The main trouble in glanders comes with the handling of sus- 
picious horses. In a stable where one or two animals have the 
disease and the rest are exposed how will you protect the public? 
The first thing to do, if the doctor is working under the state 
law and has the power, is to quarantine the place: If the doctor 
has not this power, then let him report it to the state officer. In 
most of the states there are laws regulating the disposition of 
animals affected with contagious diseases and glanders is one 
of these diseases. Glanders, foot and mouth disease and Texas 
fever are recognized and handled officially. Most states require 
practitioners to report all cases of contagious diseases. In Illi- 
nois there is a $500.00 fine for failing to report to the state 
veterinarian any contagious case. 

After the stable has been quarantined then test the animals 
with mallein. 

Mallein is an albuminous serum. It varies in strength but 
that prepared by the United States Bureau of Animal Industry is 
taken as a standard. A dose of that which is made in Wash- 
ington is 1 cubic centimeter, about 16 drops. This comes in 
bottles ready for use and is injected under the skin in the side 
of the neck. The object of making the injection in this place is 
to select a place where the swelling will be visible. The hair 
should be clipped off and the skin washed before the injection is 
made. This should be done about ten o'clock at night. The 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 165 

temperature of the horse prior to the injection should be taken 
three times, morning, noon and night. The horse should be in 
good condition and the temperature should be taken under favor- 
able circumstances. Do not take the temperature soon after 
drinking cold water but before eating or drinking and at a time 
when he is not warm from exercise or work. He should not 
come from an over-crowded or ill-ventilated stable in such a 
case if ever you want a normal temperature. After making 
the injection take the temperature the next morning at 
7 o'clock, then every two hours during that day and if necessary 
through the night. If the horse has glanders you will get an 
elevation of temperature from 3-6 degrees. The maximum 
temperature will usually be found about 14 hours after the in- 
jection. The temperature, as a rule, in these cases rises slowly 
but persistently. It keeps rising for 24-30 hours. It will then 
fall within 2 or 3 degrees of normal and stay there, forming 
what is called the rainbow curve. 

At the point of injection there will be a swelling varying in 
size from 3-9 inches in diameter. It is usually about % inch 
thick. Radiating, swollen lines will be seen running from it. 
These are sometimes 3 or 4 inches long, may be a foot and they 
are apt to run downward toward the point of the shoulder. This 
swelling is intensely painful. 

The constitutional effects of the mallein test are as follows : 

The horse hangs his head, loses his appetite and is disin- 
clined to move and sometimes has minor chills. This depression 
is so well marked that it is an important symptom. It indicates 
that the diagnosis of glanders is unquestionable. A great many 
cases have been tested, destroyed and posted and I have never 
heard of a case with these symptoms of depression with the 
febrile reaction and local swelling at the point of injection proving 
to be anything else but glanders. 

Of course there will be varying degrees of severity of reac- 
tion from the test. The temperature may run along to 105 or 
106, and there be present swelling, soreness and depression, and 
there would be no question of its being glanders. But suppose 
the maximum temperature is 103, swelling is 3 inches in diameter, 
no soreness, no radiating lines, no depression, — then this is a 



166 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

suspicious case. You cannot say that he has or has not glanders. 
Every animal should either be named or marked on the tempera- 
ture blank. Mark the last case as suspicious and test him again 
after 30 days. 

In case the horse has not glanders the mallein test will give 
no results at all, there will be no elevation of temperature. How- 
ever there may cases come up that will give a little tempera- 
ture, possibly a degree or two. There will be a slight local 
swelling, but no radiating lines. Before night these symptoms 
will be gone. You would declare such a case sound. 

Disposition of the Animals. — The strong reactors should be 
destroyed, the mild ones quarantined and tested again at the end 
of one or two months. The non-reactors should be taken out to 
a clean fresh place and be kept separate from the others. When 
the tests are made again at the end of the month you may find 
some that give a marked reaction showing that the disease has 
developed in that time. On the other hand some will react sus- 
piciously at the first test and then when tested again show clearly 
that they were not infected. Such cases should be tested several 
times. It is important to protect a man's horses as far as possi- 
ble. Do not kill any more horses than is absolutely necessary. 

The failure to react on the part of some of these animals that 
are tested two or three times creates the impression in the minds 
of many that the mallein test immunizes the animal. In some 
mild cases the mallein seems to act as a curative and the animals 
become sound again, living along indefinitely, while in others 
the addition of a little more poison than they already have in 
their system precipitates the disease to sudden termination. This 
point is being debated throughout the world today by prominent 
veterinarians, but we aim to be conservative and protect the 
public. If you are acting under a state veterinarian who is in- 
clined to be radical, argue the point with him and if you feel 
that he is unreasonable, more so than you can endorse you better 
resign than be caught by his mistake. 

Thorough disinfection must be given a stable where a glan- 
dered horse has been found and destroyed. This is much easier 
done where the barn has a good floor. Clean out the stable thor- 
oughly, wash the stall, etc. Fill a large bucket with boiling 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 167 

water, put in three or four ounces of carbolic acid, one-half ounce 
of bichloride of mercury to three gallons of water. Then with 
an old broom scrub the stall. Wet it good and let it soak a while 
then scrape out. Do this two or three times. If the stable is 
tight enough to use formaldehyde and fumigate, do so. Shut the 
stable up tight, suspend a number of sheets in it and spray the 
formaldehyde over the sheets, starting at the far side from the 
door. Do the work very rapidly and back out toward the door 
as you work. Let it stand five or six hours in this condition, 
then open the windows and doors letting in all the fresh air pos- 
sible until it is thoroughly ventilated. Then whitewash exten- 
sively with fresh slacked lime and sprinkle the floor liberally 
with a ten per cent solution of coal tar emulsion. Where the 
glandered horse has stood take out the manger and burn it. 

Some think that the life of the germ is only a few months, 
that it will die with time. This is recognized as correct for out- 
doors — for water troughs, fence posts, hitching posts, specially it 
exposed to winter weather with alternating thawing and freez- 
ing, etc. But inside this is not so. 

The harness used on glandered horses should be cleaned very 
thoroughly and the bits boiled. 

Mallein Test. — We have occasion to have great confidence in 
the Mallein Test. If the horse has an elevation of temperature 
to. begin with we may get a reading of thermometer that will 
not tell us much as regards the diagnosis. But if the temperature 
is normal and the reaction is definite, say 3 or 4 degrees above 
normal then the case is one of glanders. If the temperature rises 
3 degrees and depression is slight then do not kill the animal but 
test again a month later. Suspicious cases should be retested. 

If thought advisable, confirm the mallein test with some other 
such as the Strauss test or the agglutination test. 

Strauss Test. — Inoculate under the skin or into the peritoneal 
cavity of the male pig some glander's pus. In three days the pig- 
will show swelling of the testicles which are sore under pressure 
if the pus is specific of glanders. In thus inoculating the pig 
other germs will no doubt be introduced into his system so that 
the pig will die probably anyway from an infection but the swell- 
ing of the testicles is the diagnostic point. 



168 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

Agglutination Test. — This test is a new laboratory method. 
It is based upon the theory of the agglutination of germs by an 
infected serum. The serum is first diluted and then inoculated 
with a suspension of the dead glander's germ and after a definite 
length of time agglutination of the germs takes place.. This 
reaction can be seen in a test tube, in the test tube the germs 
make a floculant white precipitate at the bottom of the tube. 

Post Mortem. — Suppose we have a case which shows no evi- 
dence of the glander's lesion. At post you will probably find an 
interstitial pneumonia or glanders abscesses in the liver or lym- 
phatic glands. Many cases will show internal evidence of glan- 
ders which were wrongly diagnosed during life. 

Order the animals which react strongly, killed, that is, those 
that have a marked temperature or swelling. Mild cases usually 
react less and less to each test. They should be held over and 
tested again. Never inject mallein into an animal when there 
is fever present from some other cause than the glanders infec- 
tion. All suspicious cases should be quarantined and tested 
again. The mallein test will hurry the termination of an acute 
case. 

In Montana glanders is mild; horses live for years with the 
disease and scatter the germs everywhere. Canada gets her 
glanders cases from Montana and this has compelled her to re- 
fuse to admit any reactor into her boundaries. Reactors should 
be kept in continuous quarantine. The owners can put them to 
work, but they must be kept out of the way of other animals. 

The Board of Live Stock Commission of Illinois can make 
rules that are just as binding as laws. The old laws put the 
quarantined cases in the barn and kept them there but according 
to the present regulations the horses can go on the public high- 
ways providing they are inspected every week at the owner's ex- 
pense. The veterinarian can charge $2.00 for every 10 horses 
or fraction of ten. The object of these inspections is to catch the 
cases that develop early. If the owner works his horse after he 
has been ordered to hold his animal in he can be arrested. The 
time limit of quarantine is usually 90 days if nothing develops, 
but the quarantine runs indefinitely. 

The law says that the owner must carry his own waterpail ; 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 



169 



that he cannot water his horses at public watering places ; that 
he cannot use other stables or tie to hitching posts, etc. 

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS BETWEEN 
GLANDERS and CHRONIC CATARRH. 



Ulceration of Schneiderian 

Membrane. 
Discharge continuous. 
Discharge usually bilateral. 
Discharge resembles melted 

butter. 
Doscharge odorless unless there 

is extensivet necrosis of 

the turbinate bones. 



No ulceration at all. 
Discharge intermittent. 
Discharge usually unilateral. 
Coagulated in chunks, not 

gluey. 
Discharge always fetid. 



RECORD OF FIVE CASES TESTED WITH MALLEIN. 



The first three cases occurred in Dr. Vernon's practice. 



M. 







Case No. 1. 


Case No. 2. 


Case No. 3 


Temperature before 










injection 


10:00 p. m. 


. 101 


100 


101 


Temperature after 










injection. . . . 


. 6:00 a. m. 


102:5 


100 


102:5 




8:00 a. m. 


103:6 


102 


104 




10:00 a. m. 


103:4 


102:4 


103:6 




12:00 m. 


103:4 


102 


103:4 




2:00 p. m. 


103:2 


101:8 


101:8 




4:00 p. m. 


102 




101:2 




6:00 p. m, 


101:6 




101.2 



The first case developed a swelling at the seat of injection 8 
by 10 inches. There was no swelling the next morning and the 
horse showed no depression. 

In the second case the swelling was slight and there was no 
depression. 

In the third case was a swelling 5 by 10 inches with no de- 
pression. 

The question arose what to do with these animals. As the 
temperature and swellings were not typical it was decided that 
they should be liberated. 



170 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

The next two cases were under Dr. Schneider's observation. 

Case No. 1 — Gray. Case No. 2 — Eoan. 



Temperature before 








injection. . . . 


. , 3:30 p. m. 


99:9 


100:6 


i i 


7:00 p. m. 


101:6 


101:5 


a 


10:00 p. m. 


101:4 


100:8 


Temperature after 










. . 6:00 a. m. 


104:1 


100:3 


a 


8:00 a. m. 


105:8 


102:6 


tt 


10:00 a. m. 


105:8 


104 


tt 


12:00 m. 


105:9 


103:3 


(C 


2:00 p. m. 


105:3 


102:4 


tt 


4:00 p. m. 


105:7 


104:2 


tt 


6:00 p. m. 


105:2 


104:2 


tt 


8:00 p. m. 


105 


103:3 


tt 


10:00 p. m. 


104 


104 


11 


7:00 a. m. 


105:1 


103:8 



The first case developed a swelling 4 by 5. 

Second case developed a swelling 3 by 4. 

Both of these cases showed great depression the day follow- 
ing the injection and the next day also. It was decided that 
they had the disease and they were destroyed. 

STRANGLES. 

Strangles, Gourme (French), Druse (German), is a con- 
tagious disease peculiar to the horse. Some writers describe it 
under the name of Coryza Contagiosa Equorum. The specific 
germ was described by Schultz in 1888 and he called it strepto- 
coccus equi. Horses of all ages may contract the disease but it 
is generally known as a colt disease. Tt is non-recurrent, but 
possibly in rare cases it may attack an animal the second time. 

Strangles runs two courses, the regular and the irregular. 
The irregular course used to be a disease called Bastard Strangles, 
but this name has become obsolete. 

In its nature strangles is a pyogenic fever. No other species 
of animal is ever attacked. The regular form manifests itself in 
abscesses about the throat, in the submaxillary space, in the 
glands and lymphatic vessels about the head. It runs a course 
of about a week or two when the abscesses will have ruptured 
spontaneously and healed benignly. The abscesses usually dis- 
charge for about a week. 

Inoculation with pus from these abscesses will not always 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 171 

produce the disease, but cohabitation of the diseased and healthy 
animals seems to transmit the infection. It cannot really be ex- 
plained how the infection is carried. It may be from the pus or 
it may be from the expired air or discharges of the diseased 
animal. 

Etiology. — The streptococcus equi is the cause. The period 
of incubation is from one to two weeks. 

Semeiology. — There is at first a high fever which is soon fo 1 - 
lowed by loss of appetite and swellings around the throat and 
branches of the lower jaw. The abscesses may be numerous or 
few, large or small. Regularly they occur around the head and 
throat. If the retropharyngeal glands are involved the dyspncea 
may be dangerous and death from asphyxiation occur. The 
mortality is not high. About 99 out of a 100 recover, but occa- 
sionally one will die. The death depends a great deal upon the 
environment and the weather. Wet and cold are unfavorable to 
the sick animal. 

Strangles usually starts with fever and a discharge from the 
nose, and there may be some cough. At first the pulse is rapid 
and in a few days it becomes weak. The mucous membranes 
become injected, and if the abscesses occur around the throat 
and maxillary glands, the deglutition is apt to be interfered with. 
In a few days they will rupture spontaneously unless they are 
too deep-seated. Then the fever subsides, the appetite returns 
and rapid recovery takes place. The temperature may start out 
at 106 but in 4 days go down to 104, at which place it stays until 
the abscess ruptures, when it .returns to normal. 

In the irregular form the character of the fever is the same 
but the abscesses form somewhere else than around the throat, 
either internally or externally. They are often seen in the liver, 
spleen and lymph glands and the pectoral and inguinal branches 
of the lymphatic ducts. They may break out about the legs. If 
the abscesses are superficial and can be opened or ruptured the 
animal will make a good recovery, but if the abscesses follow one 
another then the animal may not get well for six or eight months. 
If they rupture internally the case may be fatal. The pericardium 
and occasionally the heart itself is often the site of these ab- 



172 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

scesses. They sometimes occur on the pleura and rupture into 
the pleural cavity. 

Treatment. — Strangles must run its course — it cannot be 
aborted. Rational treatment will help to produce a favorable ter- 
mination. In this and every other febrile disease the patient 
should be housed and kept warm. Let the food be laxative. 
Crushed scalded oats and bran are good. Apply linseed poultices 
to the abscesses to soften them and repeat the application night 
and morning. Open the abscesses, do not let them rupture. They 
should be opened 3 or 4 days after they start. Syringe them out 
and still keep on the poultice. This will hasten the recovery. 
After 2 or 3 days stop the poulticing but cover the sore part if 
the weather necessitates it. If dyspnoea is accentuated, perform 
tracheotomy. 

As to medicine, give quinine and whisky every 4 hours. If 
the temperature is around 104 or 105 give small doses of aceta- 
nilid. Keep the temperature at 104 or less. As soon as the 
abscess has been opened or has ruptured put the patient on 
tincture of iron. For the irregular case, if you can make a posi- 
tive diagnosis, give quinine and whisky, but if the case runs for 
a long time use anti-streptococcus serum. This may effect a 
recovery. It would be a good plan to give all suspected cases a 
prophylactic dose of the serum. 

Post mortem reveals nothing more than the abscesses. 

BURSATTI. 

Bursatti is the name of a disease which produces inflamma- 
tory swellings in the skin with raw suppurating surfaces. These 
are called kunkurs. The name "bursatti" is derived from the 
East Indian word burus, meaning rain, and the disease is spoken 
of as rain sores. Up to the present time it has proven to be 
incurable. It may yield for a time but the kunkurs will return. 
The disease is found mostly in the South and the outbreaks occur 
in the summer. It is not considered contagious from horse to 
horse, but rather infectious, two or more getting it from a com- 
mon source. The inflammation is located in the subcutaneous 
tissue, and the tumors may be found in the internal organs. In- 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 173 

oculation with the serum from the ulcers does not seem to pro- 
duce the disease. The cause of it is not really known. It is be- 
lieved to arise from filth. It seems to occur in horses which have 
not been kept clean and whose harnesses have never been cleaned. 
The harness rubs against the skin until the surface is raw and an 
ulcer forms. If the ulcer heals it will eventually return. This 
condition interferes with the welfare of the animal and he runs 
down in flesh, getting thin and worthless. In India it is con- 
sidered a hereditary disease and animals so affected are con- 
demned for breeding purposes. The raw surfaces of these ulcers 
itch a great deal and the itching seems to be mainly around the 
outside of the ulcer, which is slightly raised. Two or three of 
these ulcers may start in the same region and by spreading they 
will become confluent. 

Treatment. — The hygiene is considered important. See that 
everything is cleaned up and prevent the harness from rubbing 
the sores. The horse should have a liberal diet and be fed on 
good nutritious food. Prevent the horse from scratching or bit- 
ing the raw surfaces if possible. If called early extirpate the 
inflammatory area if it is not too large. In addition to this give 
rational treatment. The sores of bursatti are similar to the so- 
called summer sores although there is a distinction. Neither will 
endure winter. 

The following is a summer sore lotion which seems to be 
effectual in some cases : 

n 

Spts. ~Vini Recti drams xiss 

Acetic Acid drams iss 

Phenol (liquid) drams ivss 

Eucalyptol M ij 

Caramel grains iss 

Aqua q. s ounces iv 

M. Sig. — Apply to sore 3 times daily with soft 
brush or swab. 

To prepare dissolve the eucalyptol in the alcohol ; dissolve the 
caramel in H 2 O, then add the acetic acid and phenol and shake. 



174 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

BOTRYOMYCOSIS. 

Closely related to bursatti is the disease called botryomycosis 
and it is often difficult to differentiate them. In botryomycosis 
the tumors which go on to ulceration are due to the invasion of a 
microorganism called the botroyomyces. The tumors which are 
formed are inflammatory growths, often of very large size. 
Scirrhous cord may be caused by this microbe. The tumors 
should be removed with a knife and all the parts of the growth 
thoroughly cut out as the botryomyces invade the outer zone of 
the tissue. In the discharge from the abscess colonies of the 
microbe may be found but these are the older organisms and are 
not as active as those in the outer parts of the tumor. The knife 
seems to be the only treatment, although the summer sore lotion 
has been tried with some results. The knife should always be 
applied to scirrhous cord. 

CORN STALK DISEASE. 

Horses and cattle die from a disease known as corn stalk 
disease when turned into a stalk field in December and January. 
In these months the disease seems to be prevalent. The animals 
eat the nubbins and stalks and suddenly they come down with 
an affliction and next morning are found dead. It is supposed 
that they get the disease from the corn stalks. Animals that get 
a mild attack do not die so early but become delirious or at other 
times may become stupid and finally die in a comatose condition. 
This shows that the disease is due to some toxin. All animals 
which contract the disease die from it sooner or later. 

Prevention is better than cure. Remedial treatment seems to 
be useless. Prevent by keeping the stock out of the fields. Cut 
the stalks early enough to make good fodder and there will be 
no corn stalk disease. 

SURRA. 

Surra is a constitutional disease of the infectious type. The 
infection is not carried from animal to animal but is due to the 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 175 

introduction into the animal of a hsematozoon known as the try- 
panosoma Evansi. This parasite has a long whip-like body with 
a tail something like a flagellum. The parasite was discovered 
by Evans. The organisms may be taken into the body through 
the medium of the food and water, but it is believed now that 
they are inoculated into the host by some certain insect, such as a 
certain kind of fly or mosquito. The disease affects the horses 
usually in the low, swampy regions. It is called trypanosomiasis. 
From the alimentary tract the parasite enters the blood and more 
or less disorganizes it, producing great debility, emaciation, fever, 
capricious appetite and finally death through syncope and col- 
lapse in from 6 weeks to 6 months. 

Bost Mortem. — There are no post mortem lesions found. 
There is a disease found in the northwestern part of this country 
and in Canada and Montreal called Swamp fever or Swamp dis- 
ease. It has the symptoms of surra but the trypanosome has 
not been found in the blood nor are the lesions at post specific. 
Surra is very prevalent in the Philippine Islands. 

Treatment. — No known therapeutic treatment has had any 
effect so that preventive measures are the only ones which can 
be counted on. Keep the horses on high land or drain the low 
swampy places. If the horse takes the disease this can be rec- 
ognized by the peculiar symptoms. The animal will run down 
rapidly and in a few weeks generally dies. It is presumed that 
the trypanosomata are excreted in the feces and urine and these 
products should therefore be taken care of as far as possible or 
el-se the animal killed. 

INFLUENZA. 

The word influenza comes from the Latin word meaning "in- 
fluence." The disease was so named in human medicine on ac- 
count of the influence the planets are supposed to have upon the 
atmospheric conditions and the resultant changes upon the ani- 
mal life on the earth. No disease spreads so rapidly as in- 
fluenza. The especial cause has been attributed to several differ- 
ent micro-organisms. Pfeiffer isolated a bacillus which he 
thought was the specific cause and called it by his own name. 



176 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

Kitasato and Canon corroborated Pfeiffer's discovery. Ehrlich 
claimed that the germ was a streptococcus. Influenza is recog- 
nized today as a contagious disease but the means of communi- 
cation are not known, probably it is through the alimentary tract. 
The germs may be taken into the respiratory tract first and then 
when expelled, lodge in the pharynx and are swallowed. It is 
thought that horses get the disease from eating and drinking 
from common receptacles. It is a good plan to have their drink- 
ing water constantly running and this will carry away any foreign 
matter that may accumulate. The disease is not atmospheric but 
it travels along the lines of commerce. The atmosphere may in- 
fluence it to the extent that a decrease in ozone will produce de- 
pression while an increase in the ozone stimulates the animal. 

Influenza is a blood disease and it produces catarrhal dis- 
charges from all the mucous membranes. 

Semeiolo'gy. — The disease presents different symptoms ac- 
cording to whether it is involved with complications or not. The 
symptoms of the uncomplicated form of the disease are as fol- 
lows : Great nervous depression and languor with high fever. 
During the first twenty-four hours the fever is about 106 and 
then it falls to 105 or 103. The animal is inclined to lie down 
more or less, his legs swell, the swellings are sore under palpa- 
tion, and he generally loses his appetite. After twenty-four 
hours there is a profuse discharge from the nose and after forty- 
eight hours a marked loosening of the bowels, and the mucous 
membranes are usually icteric. The inflammation sometimes at- 
tacks the urinary apparatus and produces profuse micturition. 
If the animal is not well blanketed his coat stares, breathing is 
accelerated and the mucous membranes are injected. The head 
hangs, the ears and the eyelids droop. In the corners of the eye 
is coagulated mucous. Often the throat is sore and there is a 
troublesome cough. This cough is inclined to remain with the 
animal and become chronic. It is thought by some that this dis- 
ease produces roaring and this cannot be' disputed. 

In the uncomplicated case the fever generally goes down to 
normal in three or four days and the appetite is regained and 
the animal makes a good recovery in from five to ten days. The 
discharge subsides and the animal seems to be none the worse 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 177 

for the attack. It is thought that one attack renders the animal 
immune for at least six months. 

The complications of influenza involve the lungs in the form 
of broncho-pneumonia, which is always of the contagious va- 
riety and the symptoms are those of a grave pneumonia; the 
symptoms being rapid exhaustion, loss of appetite and exacer- 
bation of fever — animal dies in 5-10 days if recovery does not 
take place. 

Diagnosis. — The diagnosis of influenza is based upon the con- 
tinued fever, with great depression and symptoms of rapidly de- 
veloping icteric, dark colored mucous membranes and swelling 
of the legs. The evidence of colic and congestion which is fol- 
lowed by diarrhoea indicates a complication of enteritis. The 
diagnosis of brain trouble is based upon the excessive violence 
which interrupts the otherwise continual stupor of the animal. 

Prognosis. — Influenza is a serious disease principally on ac- 
count of the complications. Uncomplicated influenza is only 
fatal in 1-5 per cent of the cases. 

Treatment. — -While the appetite remains the patient should 
have a moderate quantity of hay, good oats and bran ; or even 
a little fresh clover, if obtainable, can be given in small quan- 
tities. The sick horse should be placed in a well-ventilated stall. 
To reduce the temperature give one dram of acetanilid every 
two to four hours. The acetanilid may be used with alcohol 
and strychnine. The patient must be blanketed. Never give a 
laxative of any sort, for the enteric mucosa is in so sensitive a 
state that half a pint of raw oil, or one ounce of sulphate of soda 
might precipitate enteritis and cause death. If founder occurs, 
it is difficult to treat. When recognized, hot or cold applica- 
tions are useful. 

PURPURA HAEMORRHAGICA. 

Purpura hemorrhagica (French, anasarca) is frequently one 
of the sequelse of influenza. It is an infectious disease though 
not contagious. There is a difference of opinion as to the spe- 
cific germ of this disease. Tizzoni, in 1889, found a bacillus 
which he considered the specific germ. Babes corroborated it 



178 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

in 1890 and Kolb in 1891. After this Marmorek of the Pasteur 
Institute claimed that the streptococcus was the cause. Although 
the disease may follow influenza yet it may often develop and 
run its course as an original disease. 

This disease is characterized by the destruction of the blood 
elements on a large scale. The blood becomes thin and oozes 
out through the pores into dependent parts by diapedesis ; it may 
be circumscribed or diffused when it produces purple spots or 
patches (ecchymoses). 

It occurs as an original disease in badly ventilated and badly 
drained stables or as a sequel to debilitating fevers. 

Symptoms. — The fever is regular and quite persistent at 104. 
The legs swell and when the swelling gets above the knees and 
hocks it terminates abruptly. The swelling creeps higher and 
higher and in three or four days the lips begin to swell and the 
eyelids become bloated. There is also a pendulous swelling un- 
der the abdomen. Early in the disease the mucous membranes 
are ecchymotic, the spots varying in size from % to V2 inch in 
diameter. They may be seen on all the mucous membranes. 

In some severe cases there is a fetid discharge from the nose. 
The mouth fills with a ropy saliva. A yellowish, gummy liquid 
comes out through the skin on the legs and trickles down the 
hair. The swelling is so great as to prevent the horse from eat- 
ing and it diminishes the caliber of the air passage and causes 
wheezy breathing. 

When the symptoms develop as above described the horse 
usually dies within 5-15 days. The five-day course accompanies 
the disease of an original lesion; the-fifteen days course is the 
result of some other previous disease. The kidneys are usually 
inactive sometimes to the extent of complete ischuria, and toward 
the latter end of the disease the horse may have bloody diarrhoea 
and colics. Sometimes more or less extensive sloughing of the 
skin takes place. This is an indication of a very severe case. 

Post Mortem. — Upon opening the body we find ecchymotic 
extravasations everywhere, especially on the mucous membranes. 
In addition there is more or less general infiltration. All parts 
are cedematous. The large bowels will show quite a liquid con- 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 179 

dition of the contents, which are bloody. The blood itself is thin 
and coagulates very slowly. 

Treatment. — The serum treatment would be the best for its 
action upon the blood would kill the germs. Marmorek man- 
ufactured a serum which has been used with good results in some 
cases and in others not. Use antiseptics and stimulants inter- 
nally. Bichromate of potassium in one to three grain doses in 
one or two ounces of water given 2-3 times a day will tend to 
destroy the germs in the blood. In connection with this use 
tincture of iron and sweet spirits nitre in liberal doses. Some 
add a little quinine. The prescription is as follows : 

Tr. Ferri. Chlo ounce ij 

Quinini Sulph dram iv 

Spts. Nit. Ether ounce iv 

Aqua q. s pint j 

M. Sig. — Give 2 ounces every 4 hours in a moderate 
case, but if the case is bad give it every 2 hours. 

In addition to this give the bichromate. Do not give a febri- 
fuge. 

The iron has double action as it helps make the red blood 
corpuscles regenerate and tends to limit the hemorrhage by its 
astringent action upon the blood vessels. 

If the muzzle begins to swell bathe it with warm water. In 
a bad case keep a man at this treatment all the time, night and 
clay. The warm water drives the oedema to some other part 
where it is not so dangerous. Never tap the swellings as slough- 
ing will follow. The fluid will not flow out. In case the dyspnoea 
interferes with the respiration perform tracheotomy, but an 
operation upon a horse with purpura is apt to be dangerous and 
fatal. Keep the horse quiet and feed him generously with oats, 
corn, bran, etc. All mild cases recover, but 40-60 per cent of 
the cases are fatal. 

SCARLATINA. 

Scarlatina is a very infectious disease, closely related to pur- 
pura, but it has some prominent differentiating features. Some 
have thought it a milder form of purpura but they have over- 
looked important features. Scarlatina comes on oftener as an 



180 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

original disease than purpura. In scarlatina the hemorrhage is 
in the form of petechise and the blood spots are scarlet, while in 
purpura they are purple. In scarlatina there is always some sore 
throat, in purpura never. The swellings in scarlatina are usually 
in patches and lumps usually on the trunk, while in purpura the 
legs swell and also the abdomen. The swellings are smooth while 
in scarlatina they are lumpy. In scarlatina the lymphatic glands 
suppurate, while in purpura they never do. In both diseases the 
fever and pulse are about the same. Animals usually recover 
from scarlatina while in purpura many die. 

Treatment. — A case of scarlatina is apt to hang on for two 
or three weeks without any change, while a case of purpura gets 
better or worse within a week. In scarlatina we have to treat 
the sore throat. Put counter-irritants and bandages on the throat 
and use such antiseptics as guaiacol. Give quinine in larger 
doses than for purpura. Give iron gargle for the throat and 
keep the horse mildly stimulated with nitrous ether. In some 
bad cases the throat ulcerates and then it is a good plan to swab 
the throat with nitrate of silver. Use the swab on the end of a 
long stick. 

Scarlatina in the horse seems to conform with scarlet fever 
in the human but purpura has no similarity whatever. So far as 
the relationship between scarlatina and purpura is concerned 
it is found that scarlatina runs into purpura before death, but 
this does not necessarily mean that the two diseases are the same. 
It is seldom that animals die from scarlatina. 

Post Mortem. — In scarlatina there is an absence of the gen- 
eral infiltration that is seen in purpura. There is difference 
enough to warrant us in saying that the two diseases are not the 
same. 

INFECTIOUS ANEMIA. 

This disease, known also by other names, such as Pernicious 
Anemia, Swamp Fever, Mountain Fever, American Surra, Ma- 
larial Fever, Typhoid Fever of Horses, the Unknown Disease, No 
Name Disease and Plains Paralysis, is more or less prevalent in 
Texas, Nevada, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Mon- 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 181 

tana, North and South Dakota, Illinois, Iowa, Manitoba and 
several countries in Europe. 

It has been under investigation -for the last three years by 
Drs. John R. Mohler, M. Francis, R. P. Marsteller, Winfred B. 
Mack, A. T. Kinsley, L. Van Es, and others. 

It is a distinctly infectious disease affecting horses, mules and 
asses. It used to be supposed to be. confined to swampy regions, 
but within the last three years has been found in altitudes as 
great as 7,500 feet. 

Etiology. — The specific virus has not yet been isolated, but it 
is known to be specific by inoculation with the blood and blood 
serum producing the disease, even after the serum has been fil- 
tered through a fine Pasteur filter, consequently the virus must 
be infinitesimally small, or a toxine. 

Dr. Van Es has recently, 1911, found that the urine and feces 
contain the virus, and that horses eating the litter soiled by 
horses with this disease develop it. The Pasteur filter would 
remove all known bacteria and protozoa. 

Semeiology. — It is characterized by progressive anemia and 
remittent fever. The horses become dull, listless, weak and 
finally stagger ; the temperature may run as high as 106 for a 
few days, then gradually fall to 102 and stay around that point 
for two or three weeks, and then rise again for a week ; the pulse 
becomes rapid, small, hard and thready, and jugular pulse is seen 
after a few weeks. The mucus membranes gradually become 
paler and paler ; sometimes they develop a yellowish or even a 
mahogany color in some cases. They also occasionally present 
hemorrhage spots (petechise). Oedematous enlargements on the 
under side of the belly, sheath, mammae and legs. There are pro- 
found changes in the blood. The red corpuscles from a normal 
of seven million per cubic millimeter sometimes drop as low as 
two millions. There is little or no change in the number of white 
corpuscles. The blood becomes thin and watery. The appetite 
usually remains good throughout the course of the disease. 

Post Mortem. — Great emaciation and loss of fat are seen, all 
parts are extremely pale. Local hemorrhages may be seen, espe- 
cially in and around the heart, which is generally enlarged. The 
lungs are studded with petechiEe, and there is besides a little 



182 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

serum in the plural cavity, also in the pericardium. The liver is 
usually sound, with the exception of possibly slight areas of de- 
generation. The spleen is somewhat enlarged and covered with 
petechia;. The kidneys are anemic and flaccid and usually show, 
microscopically, a chronic parenchymatous degeneration. The 
lymph glands are usually enlarged and hemorrhagic. 

Prognosis. — Prognosis is very unfavorable. They practically 
all die, although a few, perhaps 15% or 20%, may yield more or 
less to treatment, and live along for two or three years, but 
finally succumb. No horse was ever known to fully recover. 

Treatment. — The treatment is very disappointing, but systemic 
treatment would be as follows : In the earlier stages reduce the 
fever with, actetanilid and cold sponge baths. Stimulants, such 
as nux vomica and alcohol, are indicated for the pulse. For the 
blood give tincture of iron and Fowler's solution of arsenic in 
liberal doses. In all probability the arsenic is the only remedy 
that has much, if any, effect.. Isolate the affected horse from the 
healthy ones and burn all of his litter and disinfect the stable 
daily with a 5% solution of U. S. P. Liquor Cresolis, or any 
other coal tar emulsion, and sprinkle the floor occasionally with 
air slacked lime, or chloride of lime. Investigations are in 
progress with a view of producing a vaccine or serum that will 
protect the healthy horses where the disease is prevalent. 

rheumatism;. 

Rheumatism is a non-contagious disease that arises in the 
body and it is not specific. It is a very peculiar constitutional 
disease. Its real character is not known, but old theories at- 
tribute it to an excess of some natural acid in the blood, such as 
lactic acid, uric acid, etc. This is evidence of indigestion and 
in every case of rheumatism we can trace the condition back to 
some form of stomach disturbance. In herbivora we have more 
hippuric acid than in other animals and if this runs to excess we 
are apt to get rheumatism. 

Rheumatism is divided into various classes according to the 
part affected. For instance, we have rheumatic fever. In such 
a case the whole system is affected and there is no localization of 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 183 

the affection. It is generally fatal if the animal is not very 
strong. Death comes either from endocarditis or from valvulitis 
or both. Occasionally death is due to pericarditis. Another 
form of the disease is found in the localization of the trouble in 
the loin and it is then called lumbago. When it attacks the nerves 
it is called neuralgia. The nerve usually affected is the trifacial 
nerve. If the disease locates in the muscles it is called muscular 
rheumatism. Sometimes it attacks the sciatic nerve and then it 
is sciatica. When it attacks the joints it is called articular rheu- 
matism. The disease is inclined to attack the synoval mem- 
branes of the joints and tendons and it frequently jumps about 
from one place to another and is called flying rheumatism or 
metastatic rheumatism. It then seems to leave the part of the 
body first affected. 

Rheumatism may be either acute or chronic. 

There are some who do not consider rheumatism to be a 
specific disease, but claim that it is only a shield for ignorance. 
Sir Richard Christison found that by injecting a dog with lactic 
acid he could produce rheumatism. Many are now looking for 
the specific germ of rheumatism. The disease is, probably, 
largely hereditary. The exciting cause may be due to faulty 
assimilation as is seen in dogs fed on meat only. In some cases 
it occurs without any apparent exciting cause but there is usually 
exposure to cold and dampness. Animals that are left out in 
bad weather are apt to get rheumatism. 

Semeiology. — Rheumatic fever usually starts with a tempera- 
ture of 104 or more but sometimes not over 103. A rheumatic 
animal is more or less stiff and not inclined to move. The ap- 
petite is good and does not vary much. The animal may or may 
not lie down. The pulse is increased in frequency and hardness. 
It runs about 45 to 60. 

The fever can be reduced with acetanilid but as soon as the 
drug is stopped the fever will come back again. If a little of the 
blood is drawn it will coagulate very quickly. After the disease 
has been running for ten days or a few weeks the animal may die 
suddenly. Or if he lingers along he loses flesh. His legs swell 
and you get a jugular pulse. He may live in this condition for 
several weeks. 



184 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

Post Mortem. — Post mortem shows that the trouble is in the 
heart, which may give evidence of endocarditis, valvulitis or 
pericarditis. In all cases the animal is liable to die suddenly 
from syncope. In inflammatory rheumatism the joints swell but 
never run to suppuration unless bruised. The parts are sore and 
produce great lameness. If left to run its own course the in- 
flammation is apt to run five or six weeks. It usually leaves the 
joints permanently enlarged, especially if in the hock. Metastatic 
or flying rheumatism is inclined to attack the sheaths of the 
tendons in the legs. The disease migrates from one leg to an- 
other but is usually constant. The horse never recovers from 
rheumatic arthritis after ossification of the exudates takes place 
and has what is called chronic rheumatism. 

Sciatica comes on suddenly. The horse steps short with* the 
affected leg and does not want to be backed up ; the act of backing 
up seems to cause muscular pressure and it consequently causes 
pain. If he is made to back up he will carry the leg that is 
affected with rheumatism. Upon manipulating the sciatic region 
you can detect the soreness. In neuralgia rheumatism attacks 
the fifth nerve. The horse will hold his head tipped more or 
less and there is twitching of the facial muscles and partial clos- 
ing of the eye. The horse is disinclined to move and shows many 
evidences of distress. Pressure upon the part will cause him to 
wince. Neuralgia is not very common in the horse. 

Lumbago. — When this condition attacks a horse he will show 
stiffness, will turn with difficulty and will not move readily. His 
back will be arched. In bad cases he is likely to lie down and 
then is unable to rise, perhaps for a week or two. 

Semeiology. — The symptoms of lumbago are well marked in 
the dog. The subacute form sometimes attacks the intercostal 
muscles and is called pleurodynia. It closely resembles pleurisy 
but in pleurodynia there is no fever and auscultation reveals no 
friction sound. It resembles pleurisy in its fixed condition of 
the ribs, soreness of the intercostal muscles, careful breathing, 
turning out of the elbows, etc. 

A subacute attack in the muscles of the neck seems to cause 
contraction of the neck muscles so that the head is turned to 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 185 

one side. On the concave side of the neck the muscles stand 
out prominent and are called the cords of "torti colis." 

In muscular rheumatism the horse has a stiff action and is dis- 
inclined to move. He has probably been exposed to cold drafts 
and consequently caught cold in his muscles. 

Rheumatism is not fatal unless it attacks the heart, which 
it does in two forms. When the spasmodic pain attacks the 
heart it is called angina pectoris. In the human there is the sen- 
sation of suffocation. The presumption is that if the heart is 
interfered with it may produce death by spasm of the heart but 
this cannot be detected in the horse. 

Acute rheumatism in the form of rheumatic fever is never 
fatal unless it attacks the heart. In this case only a few cases 
recover. 

Subacute or Chronic. — From what is known we find that this 
form of rheumatism generally attacks . older animals. When it- 
attacks older animals it is more mild. The attacks are painful, 
but not dangerous. The synovial membranes may become af- 
fected but when the disease locates in the muscles it often be- 
comes chronic. In old horses it may cause sudden and severe 
lameness which may leave in a few minutes, or it may last for 
hours. In dissecting a case like this you will find calcareous de- 
posits in the synovial fringes. It is supposed that this calcified 
fringe gets in between the two bearing surfaces and causes the 
lameness. If the horse is compelled to proceed the deposit is 
pushed back in place and the lameness ceases. 

Torti colis may be caused by violence and rupture of the lig- 
amentous attachment to cervical vertebra on one side of the 
neck and this makes the head turn in the opposite direction. In 
the very young animals this can be cured by means of splints 
Dii the neck. This form of torti colis is not rheumatic in its 
nature. 

Treatment of the Acute. — In rheumatism there is an un- 
healthy condition of the blood. Therefore antiseptics are indi- 
cated with the general idea of increasing the alkalinity of the 
blood and of changing the urine from acid to alkaline. Particu- 
lar attention should be paid to the digestion. Salines are 
effectual. Salicylate of soda should be given in liberal doses. 



186 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

Give three dram doses every hour night and day for ten to fifteen 
days in order to get the desired effect. The best treatment known 
is salicylate alkaloid of oil of wintergreen (aspirin), but this is 
very expensive. The human dose is 'five grains every four hours. 

Other salines are nitrate of potash, one dram three times a 
day, sulphate of magnesium and all of the laxative salts, iodide 
of potash, vegetable alteratives, etc. 

The following is good treatment: 

Sodii Salicyl ounce vi 

Fl. Ex. Colchici ounce ij 

Aqua qs. ad pint ij 

M. Sig. — 2 ounces every 4 hours night and day. 

The first remedy you adopt should be used for about ten 
days and then switch to some other. An acute case seems to. run 
a course of about six weeks. If you have been using the pre- 
scription given above then change to sulphate of magnesium. 

It is useless to apply stimulating liniments. An application 
of chloroform for a few minutes, which is allowed to evaporate, 
will allay the pain. The following is a good liniment: 

B 

Tr. Arnica 
Tr. Aconite 

Tr. Opii aa ounce j 

Chloroform dram j 

Aqua qs. ad ounce viii 

In all acute cases of rheumatic lameness and swelling a fly 
blister is very beneficial. 

LYMPHANGITIS. 

This is an inflammation of the lymphatic ducts. Lymphadenitis 
is inflammation of the lymphatic glands. There are four forms 
of lymphangitis, plethoric, ansemic, mycotic or epizootic and 
septic. The acute plethoric form, develops suddenly in horses 
that are plethoric and working every day, but laid off for a 
holiday or a Sunday. The plethoric condition of the horse 
while at rest is the etiological factor in the case. It may attack 
any part of the body but generally one of the hind legs. It is 
usually found in the morning after a day of rest, such as Mon- 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 187 

day, for instance. This disease is called by some Monday 
morning sickness. In Scotland it is called the "weed." In 
England it is called the "shot of grease 1 ' or the "shakes." The 
affected lymphatics swell and become inflamed. 

Pathogenesis. — The blood is plethoric and the bymphatic ducts 
become congested on account of overwork. We presume that 
in such a case the metabolism during the forty-eight hours previ- 
ous to the attack has been slight and the nutrition great enough to 
clog the lymphatic ducts. This seems to act much the same as 
active congestion in altering the nutrition of the part. The in- 
flammation may be so severe as to run into the third stage and 
may result in an abscess. 

Symptoms. — If the horse is in a warm stable he will be found 
in the morning with a chill, which is sometimes very severe. The 
severity of the attack depends upon the severity of this chill. In 
the course of a couple of hours the doctor will be called and when 
he arrives he will find the horse lame, in a hind leg. The tempera- 
ture will be about 106. The swelling increases rapidly and runs 
down the inside of the leg in the inguinal chain of lymphatics 
and varies in size from the size of a v flnger to that of a wrist. 
By the end of the first day the whole leg becomes involved from 
the foot to the stifle. When the inflammation subsides it will 
leave the leg large for at least ten days and sometimes perma- 
nently. An abscess may form as large as a fist or it may hold a 
quart or two of pus. During all this time the animal is off his 
feed. His appetite returns as the fever subsides. One attack 
predisposes an animal to another, and each time the affected leg 
is left a little larger until the horse gets the chronic big leg, 
called Elephantiasis. This enlargement is fibroid all the way up 
the leg and it is incurable. If the enlargement is not fibroid in 
nature then being oedematous, exercise will help drive it out. 

Treatment. — If called to an acute case during the chill, treat 
it vigorously. Give aconite and alcohol or spirits of nitrous 
ether every fifteen minutes until the horse begins to sweat and 
keep him well blanketed. Drop off the frequency of the dose as 
soon as the chill subsides. Give him aconite, spirits of nitrous 
ether, nitrate of potash and water after the chill has subsided. 
G"jve 5ihese every hour or two and take off some of the blankets. 



188 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

In addition to this give a full purgative dose of aloes and dose 
with acetanilid every hour for four hours. The dose should be 
governed by the weight of the horse and the height of the fever. 
Keep up the fever mixture until diuresis is produced and then 
drop off to every four hours and then to three times a day. As 
soon as the treatment has been started, have a man bathe the leg 
of the animal with warm water. Take care that the water is not 
too hot, for it will scald the leg. The water should be 115 de- 
grees. The bathing should be done three times a day, about 
an hour at each time. It is very important to have the affected 
leg warm and well wrapped. If this treatment is persisted in 
the swelling will go down and the fever will subside. Continue 
until the leg is reduced one-half. The animal should not be fed 
for forty-eight hours. After the leg begins to get better, exercise 
should begin. Walk him around in a warm place, each time in- 
creasing the exercise, commencing with about ten minutes. If 
the case comes to you neglected, then the treatment is different. 
Give him purgatives but do not bathe. Leave out the ether and 
acetanilid. Give him potash and exercise him. If the swelling 
can be driven out the case is curable, otherwise not. 

Stallions and jacks have sores in the form of eczema which 
come from lymphangitis. The sore starts with a small pimple 
which itches. The horse either bites or scratches the place until 
it becomes raw and granulates and has a tendency to spread. 
The treatment consists in removing the cause. If feeding is the 
cause, lessen it and substitute bran. Give a mild purgative. A 
large stallion should not get more than seven drams for a pur- 
gative dose. Stallions cannot stand as much as a working horse. 
Give a purgative once a month and between the purgations give 
sulphate of sodium night and morning. .For local treatment mild 
applications are the best. If much granulation tissue forms 
around the sore it must be removed with the knife and then ap- 
ply the white lotion three or four times a day. Rub the sore 
gently to remove the loose scabs. Jack sores are more difficult to 
heal. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 189 

EPIZOOTIC LYMPHANGITIS. 

This is a new disease in some parts of the world and old in 
others. It is caused by a fungus called the saccharomyces far- 
ciminosus. The disease is also called ulcerative or mycotic 
lymphangitis. It is communicable to other horses by contact 
with anything that carries the fungus. 

The fungus can grow on the horse and mule. After it enters 
the wound it begins to grow slowly and soon starts up an inflam- 
mation (in three weeks to three months) and a nodule forms 
under the skin with hardening and thickening of the surrounding- 
lymphatic ducts. The nodule softens, ruptures and discharges 
pus and an indolent ulcer forms. It usually occurs on one leg, 
may be on two and it may occur on any part of the body. The 
poison is carried from this point and it may break out anywhere. 
When it attacks the leg it involves the whole leg from the foot to 
the body. A few cases recover spontaneously and many are cura- 
ble by proper treatment if applied early. The rest continue to 
grow worse. Inasmuch as the pus carries the germ the disease 
is liable to spread to other animals. It is fatal in ten to fifteen 
per cent of cases. The pus is yellow or grayish yellow and is 
often mixed with blood. Sometimes it contains flakes. 

The first symptom is an indolent sore covered with pus and 
a scab surrounded by a slightly swollen area with radiating 
lines running from it. The ulcers may heal slowly and recur and 
the skin becomes thickened. The affected horse does not show any 
constitutional disturbance unless the case is very advanced. This 
disease may be mistaken for farcy. In farcy the mallein test is 
positive, and the pus is oily or glutinous and the ulcers are cup- 
shaped. In lymphangitis the mallein test is negative, likewise 
the Strauss test and the agglutination test, the pus is thick and 
creamy, the ulcers are flat and show more granulations, and the 
nodules are less firmly attached to the skin and more movable 
than in farcy. There is an absence of the bacillus malleus and 
the presence of the specific fungus, the saccharomyces farci- 
minosus. 

Treatment. — -If the case is gotten early enough remove all the 
tissue involved with the knife. If removal is impracticable open 



190 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

the abscesses and treat antiseptically. Bichloride 1-250 or Lugol's 
solution or a solution of formaldehyde 1-200 are appropriate anti- 
septics. 

All advanced cases should be destroyed. 

Anaemic lymphangitis is not seen in the horse. Septic lym*- 
phangitis is seen as a result of sepsis in wounds of any kind. The 
parts around the wound swell, become painful and the wound 
suppurates, and sometimes small abscesses form in the ducts lead- 
ing from the wound. 

Treatment. — After opening the abscesses, local antiseptic wet 
packs continuously applied, with thorough antiseptic treatment of 
the original wound, and stimulants internally will control it. 

AZOTURIA. 

Azoturia is a non-contagious blood disease of the plethoric 
type. It is almost if not entirely peculiar to horses. It may ex- 
ist in the human. The disease is characterized by sudden pros- 
tration and if the animal is down he is usually unable to rise. 
Azoturia invariably follows exercise after a period of enforced 
idleness and continued high feeding on such food as oats. In 
such a case an excess of nitrogen is probably developed in the 
system and the excretory organs cannot take care of all the ex- 
tra waste material. It occurs in all ages and breeds, in both 
sexes. We find it more common in half bred draft horses than 
in full blooded animals, probably because the half bred is more 
common, more numerous. 

Etiology. — Azoturia is due to idleness, high feeding and then 
exercise. The resulting condition is one of plethora. The ani- 
mal sometimes gets down and becomes cast in some way or other 
and in his efforts to get up he exercises so violently as to bring 
on the disease. In case of indigestion from idleness if colic 
pains arise, the struggles of the animal may bring on an attack of 
azoturia. If a horse is to be cast for an operation and has not 
been prepared by dieting, his struggles in the apparatus may 
bring on an attack of azoturia. If a highly fed animal is idle he 
will become plethoric. All of the organs become sluggish in ac- 
tion and the blood becomes rich in solids at the expense of the 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 191 

watery constituents. The animal becomes indolent and his cir- 
culation is slowed. When he begins to exercise again the circu- 
lation increases, the pulse in some cases running up to 60; he 
feels good and takes very active exercise, and as a result of this 
exercise there is tissue metamorphosis. The waste material pro- 
duced in the system is nitrogen. Every contraction of the 
muscles separates the nitrogen from the tissues. The muscles 
get their nitrogen from certain kinds of food. The surplus 
nitrogen must be eliminated from the system by the kidneys or it 
will poison the blood. The kidneys excrete it in the form of 
urea. The surplus water and salts in the blood of a plethoric 
animal can be gotten rid of through other channels but the kid- 
neys must take care of the excess of nitrogen. The thick blood 
cannot circulate so freely through the organs and we get a 
capillary stasis, the kidneys become congested and there is an 
impaction of the capillaries with blood. This interferes with the 
action of the kidneys and the coloring matter of the blood is 
forced out into the urine, giving it the dark color which we see 
in the urine of azoturia. 

The action of the kidneys may be so disturbed that there is 
total suppression of the urine and the horse may die in two 
hours ; but if the kidneys are partially active then the life of the 
animal is prolonged. When he recovers, it is because the kid- 
neys are restored to their normal activity, but if he dies it is 
because the kidneys cannot eliminate the urea and urgemic poi- 
soning takes place. Ursemic blood poisoning is the immediate 
cause of death. Other organs are congested as well as the kid- 
neys, the lungs especially. As the animal goes down he gives 
way to a peculiar motor paralysis of the muscles, due to mus- 
cular congestion. This congestion causes pressure upon the 
trunk nerves and the muscles become paralyzed. The muscles 
most often affected are the gluteal, posterior portion of ibe dorsal 
and the anterior crural region. The congestion of these muscles 
is often so severe as to interrupt the circulation and a cessation 
of the muscle activity takes place, leading to atrophy. When 
the congestion is very tense with little swelling, the muscles get 
hard and the pressure upon the nerves is severe and often 
fatal. Usually, but not always, the hind parts are affected, more 



192 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

often the right hind quarter. A rather plausible theory has re- 
cently been advanced that the disease is due to autointoxication 
by the product of fermentation of the mass of food in the colon. 
The disease develops only in heavy feeders and during idleness 
the bowels get torpid, giving the ingesta ample opportunity to 
ferment, producing some subtle poison that does the mischief. 

Post Mortem. — Where death sets in soon after congestion, 
we shall find the muscles, particularly the affected ones, darker 
colored than normal. The heart is filled with black clots of 
blood; the kidney and liver are soft and the kidneys may be 
gangrenous. There may be abscesses in the kidneys. The cere- 
bral meninges will be more or less congested with some, effusion 
in the arachnoid space. The animal will be fat on the inside 
even if lean on the outside. If the blood is plethoric, the animal 
does not need to be fat in order to be predisposed to this disease. 
Animals that are hard worked usually get an abundance of oats 
and they are the ones most apt to take the disease though the 
work may keep down the fat. 

Semeio'logy. — When the horse is taken out after a period of 
idleness he feels good and dances around full of life. The dis- 
tance he will then be able to go depends upon the amount of ni- 
trogen set free by the muscular exertion. He may go one- 
fourth of a mile, he may go twenty miles, but he soon begins to 
sweat and blow. The blowing is due to congestion of the lungs, 
the sweating to congestion of the skin. He begins to look 
around, has an anxious countenance and gets lame in the hind 
quarter. The fetlock knuckles — that is the first symptom of the 
paralysis. The affected leg drags, he cannot bear any weight on 
it, then the other fetlock knuckles and that leg becomes helpless 
and all at once the horse is down. During this time the muscles 
of the back often swell hard as a board. The horse lies quiet for 
a time but colicky pains come on, he gets restless, the nerves 
become intensely excited, pulse tumultuous, weak, uneven, and 
finally dicrotic, and there is a convulsive motion of the limb. In 
the early stage you will not find any abnormal condition of the 
urine, but within an hour or two you will find it' thick, and a 
dark coffee color. The color is due to the pigment set free from 
the blood ; the thickness is due to mucous. Sometimes it is so 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 193 

thick that it will not flow through the catheter, and you have to 
assist it by putting the hand in the rectum and giving the bladder 
gentle pressure. The fever rises to 103 or 104. Pain and 
nervousness cause him to make attempts to get up and he can 
get up upon his fore feet but his hind parts are helpless. He 
may walk on his front feet and drag his hind parts along for 
some distance. 

As the disease progresses and uraemic poisoning sets in the 
animal becomes delirious (the first effect of uraemia) and runs 
on to a comatose condition and finally death. Death usually oc- 
curs in convulsions. The mortality in the city is about 60 or 70 
per cent. Death occurs in about 48 to 72 hours, though the 
disease often runs on to five or six weeks. Sometimes the 
urine contains tube casts, haematin and haemoglobin. The tube 
casts indicate nephritis and in case of abscess there will be pus 
in it. In case of gangrene gas will bubble out through the 
catheter. 

In mild cases the symptoms are only partially developed. He 
may go down and get up again but there will be pain and lame- 
ness in one quarter, in that respect different from colic. The 
animal often gets well after lying down an hour or two. It seems 
that a three days' stay in the stable is worse than a three weeks' 
period of idleness, for in the longer time of rest the animal 
gradually loses the good appetite he had at first and consequently 
eats less and the system becomes used to the change. The cap- 
illaries become enlarged and can accommodate the larger amount 
of blood. 

Treatment. — Wherever you find the animal, draw off the 
urine to relieve the distress of an overfilled bladder. If he is 
nervous give him an ounce of fluid extract Gelsemium for the 
first dose and if a second is needed, a half ounce. It is doubtful 
if a purgative is needed, as there is already a lack of water in 
the system and a purgative would further reduce it. I never 
found much benefit in purgatives, though I usually give an aver- 
age dose of aloes. Diuretics are dangerous; if the congestion is 
severe the diuretic will surely kill. The potassium diuretics are 
especially dangerous. Give a mild .stimulant. 



194 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

Fl. Ex. Gelsemium ounces ij 

Potassium Bromide ounces ij 

Aqua qs. ad pint i 

M. Sig. — Give a 2-ounce dose about every three or 
four hours. 

In addition to this Dr. Ellingwood suggests lithium citrate ( 1 
dram in water) every two or three hours for the first 50 or 60 
hours, then three times a day. 

For local treatment use hot fomentations. Wring out a rug 
in hot water and apply over the loins. Cover with water proof 
and then dry blankets. This keeps the steam in. During con- 
valescence give nux vomica. Remember that a horse's chances 
are much better for recovery if he is able to remain in the stand- 
ing position. If he can bear about two-thirds of his own weight 
slings may be tried, but they usually aggravate the symptoms. 

If the muscles waste in the hind quarter, treat by stimulating 
with setons. Put in three setons about two inches apart and 
leave them in about six weeks. Send the animal to pasture and 
give a good long rest. It may take six months for the muscles to 
redevelop. If necessary you can medicate the setons with canth- 
arides, turpentine, etc. Be sure to give gentle exercise, but give 
all he can take. If the wasting is extensive and severe get him 
up for exercise every two or three hours. 

Although the urine is so dark colored and full of the coloring 
matters of the blood, yet a microscopical examination of a por- 
tion of it under the high power lens does not show any pigment 
crystals. Also an examination of the blood does not reveal any 
diagnostic features. The red blood corpuscles are normal in 
color and size and do not give evidence of having lost their con- 
stituents. In fact some authorities consider the pigment body 
which colors the urine to be directly a muscle element and not 
a blood. Muscle haemoglobin, however, has the same composi- 
tion as blood haemoglobin. 

Friedberger and Froehner say that the blood in azoturia 
will show the haemoglobin crystals. 

Azoturia is a complex affection. It is rather a disease of the 
liver and blood forming functions than of the kidneys, although 
the vulgar idea is that the disorder is one of the urinary tract. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 195 

It is directly connected with a plethora in the blood of nitro- 
genized constituents with extreme nervous and muscular dis- 
order. The poisoning is seemingly not present when the animal 
is taken from the stable, yet some cases develop a fatal attack 
while being harnessed and hooked up, before leaving the wagon 
floor. It would seem as if the aspiratory power of the chest 
under the sudden exertion of the over-fed animal speedily drew 
from the liver and abdominal veins (portal system) the accumu- 
lated store of nitrogenous matter in an imperfectly oxidized or 
elaborated condition, and as if the blood surcharged with these 
materials was unable to maintain the healthy functions of the 
nerves and muscles. The pathology, however, is little under- 
stood. We must content ourselves for the present with theories. 

DISEASES OF THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM. 

There are three means of determining the diseases of the 
heart and blood vessels ; — inspection, palpation and auscultation. 
By inspection you detect any change in the position of the heart 
and the force of the heart beat can be determined. The character 
and rhythm of the pulse you get by palpation. Auscultation 
reveals the sounds of the heart. The heart has a normal sound 
and any deviation from this can be detected by auscultation. 

The various phenomena of the heart diseases are ( 1 ) Lan- 
guor; (2) Impeded respiration during the exercise, often 
amounting to distressing dyspnoea; and (3) Condition of the 
visible mucous membranes. 

The diseases of the heart are divided into two classes, — func- 
tional and organic. The functional are acute and are three in 
number, palpitation (thumping), cyanosis (blue disease) and 
syncope (faiting fit). Spasm of the diaphragm, sometimes 
spoken of as thumps, is often mistaken for palpitation. The 
organic diseases of the heart are chronic or structural diseases. 

PALPITATION AND SINGULTUS. 

Palpitation (thumps) is a tumultuous action of the heart. It 
is a disturbance of the rhythmic action of the heart and is some- 



196 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

times seen as a symptom of some other disease, for instance 
anaemia. Hard work often brings it on, especially on a hot day. 
It occurs through a disturbance of the equilibrium of the nervous 
system (sympathetic). When the condition comes through exer- 
tion, the animal is exhausted and the heart is over-taxed. The 
action of the nerves may be direct or reflex. Acute indigestion 
may cause thumps. This form of the disease may come on 
while the animal is standing quietly in the stable. 

Singultus or spasm of the diaphragm (hiccough) is caused 
by excitation of the phrenic nerve center and it is thought that 
this excitement is due to some form of indigestion. Too hard or 
too fast work after a full meal is apt to cause hiccough and it may 
be mistaken for palpitation. It may sometimes develop without 
any apparent cause. The condition is seen most frequently in 
fast horses. If a horse comes in from a run with hiccough and 
in great distress, he may recover in twenty minutes, but if it 
is thumps he may be laid up for several days. 

Semeiology. — There -is increased effort with decreased power 
of the heart. The pulse is irregular in every way. It is gen- 
erally very rapid, say at seventy-five, but it is up and down and 
the force of the beat is irregular. The result is passive conges- 
tion of the lungs and there is rapid breathing with considerable 
dyspnoea in a bad case. No signs of pain especially, but the 
distress of the animal is great. There is a jugular pulse, disten- 
sion of the veins of the head and neck and the palpitation of the 
organ itself is sometimes so great as to shake the whole body. 
In hiccough there is sudden contraction of the diaphragm, in 
spasms, which also gives an impulse to the body, but you cannot 
see the pounding of the heart on the ribs. Hiccough is not as fre- 
quent as palpitation. You may get several hiccoughs in a minute 
and on the other hand only one in the course of three minutes. In 
palpitation there is apt to be two or three a second. Hiccough 
may stop any time, while in palpitation the thumps keeps up for 
one to two hours to a day or two. In palpitation the blood ves- 
sels will be greatly dilated, while in hiccough they will not. 

Treatment. — In all cases there should be perfect quiet. If 
the palpitation is due to organic disturbance of the heart's action 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 197 

then strong stimulants are indicated, such as alcohol, whisky, dig- 
italis (most important of all) and nitro-glycerine is often resorted 
to when the others fail. Tincture of cactus is good in the human 
when the palpitation is due to indigestion. If the palpitation is 
due to the disturbance of some other organ then the condition 
is reflex and it is necessary to treat the organ disturbed. In case 
of anaemia treat the blood; in plethora and too much fat, give 
a purgative, reduce the feed and give move exercise. The excited 
condition of the heart should also be treated. For this aconite is 
the best for it slows the heart without depressing it. Give about 
ten drops of the tincture of aconite or about seven drops of the 
extract. Give whisky also, a half pint for the first dose and then, 
if necessary, repeat in two ounce doses every fifteen minutes 
until the animal is relieved. After the attack is over then remove 
the cause. If the horse is suffering from nervous exhaustion 
then give cardiac stimulants, such as digitalis. Powdered digi- 
talis and solid extract of belladonna are prescribed, twenty 
grains each, night and morning. If the blood is faulty give iron. 
Treatment of singultus depends upon its severity and dura- 
tion. It usually disappears as the horse cools and after drinking 
a few swallows of cold water. If not give half a grain of strych- 
nia hypodermatically. If this does not stop it give four grains 
of morphia in the same way. 

CYANOSIS, 

Cyanosis is known as the blue disease. This occurs only 
in young animals, — those newly born. It is sometimes found in 
foals immediately after birth and is due to the non-closure of 
the foramen ovale between the two auricles. This allows a mix- 
ture of the venous with the arterial blood in the left cavities of 
the heart. It is characterized by a dark purple or bluish color 
of the visible mucous membranes, shortness of breath and general 
coldness and feebleness. Foals thus affected generally live only 
a few hours. If the young animal should live it would grow 
up very weak. This condition is often seen in babies— blue baby 
it is called — and they may recover by good nursing. If they can 
be kept alive for eight or ten days they will get well. 



198 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

SYNCOPE. 

Syncope is fainting and when applied to the heart it means 
a fainting fit. The heart fails and loses its irritability and will 
not respond to the nerves. This causes the nerve centers to be 
anaemic and a consequent lack of blood to the brain. It rarely 
occurs among horses. The condition could be induced by a rapid 
and great loss of blood or by intense pain or by mechanical 
interference with the circulation of the brain. 

Uterine hemorrhage is a common cause of syncope in the 
human. Rapid bleeding from the jugular produces it. You 
should be able to differentiate between syncope and apoplexy. 
Apoplexy is caused by hemorrhage into the brain while syncope 
is caused by a lack of blood, or anaemia of the brain. In 
apoplexy there is a purple appearance ; in syncope pallor. 

Semeiology. — There may be a partial or total loss of con- 
sciousness ; the pulse sinks rapidly and the animal drops to the 
ground. The surface of the body turns cold, the breathing is 
scarcely to be perceived, but the state lasts usually only a few 
minutes. If the case is attended with much hemorrhage it may 
be fatal. In paralysis of the heart the symptoms may be similar 
to those of fainting. In apoplexy there is stertorous breathing. 

Treatment. — Dash cold water on the head. Lay the animal 
flat with his head as low as possible in order that the blood may 
flow into the brain with the least resistance. Do not let the 
animal get up too soon or else the attack may return. As soon 
as the consciousness returns give whisky or carbonate of am- 
monia. Then afterwards general tonics, rest, and nourishing 
foods are indicated. Remove the cause. 

ACUTE INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. 

This will embrace myocarditis, endocarditis and pericarditis. 
Pericarditis is an inflammation of the pericardium, the serous 
sack surrounding the heart ; endocarditis is the inflammation of 
the serous lining of the heart, the endocardium ; myocarditis is 
the inflammation of the muscle. 

Pericarditis runs about the same course as pleurisy (acute, 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 199 

with which it is often associated) and terminates in the same 
way with serous effusion into the pericardium, constituting hy- 
dropericardium, the same as hydrothorax. 

Etiology. — Pericarditis may be induced by cold, damp stabling, 
exposure and fatigue, wounds caused by broken ribs and blood 
contamination. Diseases that usually exist as complications are 
influenza, strangles, purpura hemorrhagica, pyaemia, rheumatism 
and probably most common of all is rheumatic fever. These 
diseases may cause the inflammation of the pericardium through 
the blood, but the inflammation can also extend to the heart sac by 
the inflamed adjacent tissues. 

Semeiology. — When arising as it usually does from some 
previously existing fever, the symptoms of the original disease 
will be the most prominent. As the pericarditis develops you 
will notice that the heart gets weaker and becomes irregular in 
rhythm and strength ; the heart then becomes so weak as to bring 
on distressing dyspnoea, such as seen in influenza and rheumatic 
fever. If the inflammation is not severe the effusion that follows 
will be small. The various stages will be like those of pleurisy, — 
first, congestion ; second, inflammation; third, effusion. In case 
of extensive effusion the fluid often coagulates and coats the 
heart and the inside of the pericardium, the layer may be a 
half inch thick. This causes the muscles of the heart to soften 
and weaken. The pulse gets weak, soft and fluttering and there 
is always considerable fever usually about 104° F. This condition 
tends to dyspnoea and consequently a watery effusion increases 
in the sack. The dyspnoea is due entirely to the faulty thoracic 
circulation. In consequence of the altered circulation and passive 
congestion there is more or less exudation and the lungs become 
sufficiently involved to get a cough associated with the disease. 
With the increased weakness of the heart there will be coldness 
of the extremities, cedematous enlargements, loss of strength, 
finally collapse and death. Even where the trouble is moderately 
severe it usually leaves a chronic lesion and affects the horse 
afterward. Ante mortem clots may form in the posterior aorta 
and cause sudden death. 

Treatment. — If the condition can be diagnosed in the first 
stage depletion is indicated. You can give diuretics and quinine. 



200 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

Then after the first stage is passed stimulants are indicated, 
mild at first but increased as the weakness develops. If you let 
the heart get weak then the effusion will be greater, so you must 
keep up the heart. The heart in this condition is very suscepti- 
ble and digitalis cannot be used in a mixture but must be given 
once every three hours alone, as the case requires. Counter- 
irritants to the left chest or hot fomentations are good for the 
heat allays the pain; cold will aggravate it. In the third stage 
cantharides to the left side can be applied as a vesicant. Give 
iron and stimulants to maintain a strong heart. Salol and 
quinine are also indicated. The salol is usually given in dram 
closes every three to six hours. Acetanilid can be given with it. 
But in spite of all you can do the animal as a rule dies and 
the autopsy shows serum in the pericardial sack and accumula- 
tions of coagula around the heart. Following some other disease, 
as it often does, treat the original condition as its nature seems 
to indicate. 

ENDOCARDITIS. 

This is inflammation of the endocardial lining of the heart. 
Associated with it is valvulitis, inflammation of the valves of 
the heart. Endocarditis frequently occurs as a complication of 
rheumatism. It is a more frequent disease of horses than is 
generally known and often gives rise to symptoms that are first 
obscure and unnoticed. In influenza we 'find the heart becoming 
involved in consequence of the morbid material conveyed through 
the heart by the blood stream. Septic diseases in any form may 
produce their evil effects upon the heart through the channel of 
the blood. 

In acute endocarditis we find the delicate, sensitive lining of 
the cavities roughened. Coagulation of fibrin may follow upon 
the inflamed surface and becomes deposited in shreddy-like gran- 
ular elevations. Fibrinous clots may form and early death 
result. 

The subacute endocarditis is the most common form of the 
disease and it may not become appreciable for several days. It 
is usually confined to one or more anatomical divisions of the 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 201 

heart and all the successive morbid changes follow each other 
in comparatively slow processes. 

When vegetations form upon the inflamed membrane, por- 
tions are liable to break off and be carried elsewhere by the 
blood, thus constituting emboli, which arc capable of suddenly 
plugging certain vessels and thereby interrupting important 
functions. In most cases of either acute or subacute cases of 
endocarditis the most alarming symptoms disappear in a week 
or ten days but they usually leave the heart in such an impaired 
condition that the circulation is abnormal for a long time after- 
ward. These changes usually consist of thickening or induration 
of the membrane lining the cavities of the heart. Especially do 
these changes persist if the valves of the heart have been in- 
volved in the inflammation. Even a slight attack of inflammation 
will render them less flexible than normal so that the free 
passage of the blood is interfered with and furthermore they 
cannot close up tightly so that some blood escapes at each con- 
traction. The resultant efforts of the heart to compensate this 
condition leads to hypertrophy of its walls, more particularly of 
the left wall, thereby producing fullness of the capillaries in 
the lungs, pressure upon the air cells, difficult or asthmatic 
breathing and in a few months complete disability. The weak 
heart and inability to work finally results in a dropsical condition 
of the extremities and passive congestion of the kidneys may 
follow. Valvular disease follows a large per cent of cases of 
acute endocarditis, which is of itself seldom fatal in its early 
stages. 

Semeiology. — There may be a chill with a sudden rise of tem- 
perature. The heart beats hard and the pulse is irregular. If 
the animal is compelled to trot there is evidence of great pain, 
difficulty in breathing and shortness of breath. If the valves of 
the right side are affected we shall find a jugular pulse. The 
pulse is always fast. The animal is not disposed to eat much, 
the surface of his body is cold, mucous membranes may be 
cyanotic and in nearly all cases there is suppression of the urinary 
secretion. In fatal cases death occurs about the fourth day. 

Endocarditis may be suspected in all cases where the symp- 



202 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

toms of cardiac affection are associated with rheumatism, in- 
fluenza or any septic condition. 

Endocarditis may be distinguished from pleuritis by the ab- 
sence of any friction murmur, absence of pain when the chest 
wall is percussed and the absence of effusion in the cavity of 
the chest. It may be differentiated from pericarditis by the ab- 
sence of friction sounds and want of an enlarged area of dull- 
ness on percussion. 

Treatment. — Blood-letting is contra-indicated. If you can 
purify the blood the heart may recover. Give antiseptics, such 
as salol, hyposulphite of soda, bicarbonate of soda, etc. To 
guard against the chronic induration of the valves give iodide 
of potash. This should be given in 1 to 2 dram doses early in 
the disease and may be repeated two or three times a day for 
several weeks. In all cases see to the hygiene — good nourishing 
food and warm quarters. Absolute rest is necessary. 

Endocarditis is usually fatal. In the autopsy there are black 
patches on the lining of the heart. These may extend around 
the valves. 

Acute valvular disease cannot be distinguished from endocar- 
ditis, and chronic valvular affections are generally the result of 
endocardial inflammation. The valves of the left side are the 
ones most often affected, — the mitral and the aortic semilunar. 
The lesion may be mere inflammation and swelling or it may con- 
sist of organized vegetations upon the surface of the valve. Ad- 
hesions may occur and the chordae tendinae may be shortened or 
lengthened. The fibrous tissue may become changed into carti- 
lage or bone or it may become the seat of lime deposits, resulting 
in ulceration, ruptures and fissures. If the heart dilates too much 
there may be atrophy and shrinking of the valves. 

Symptoms. — Valvular disease may be indicated by a venous 
pulse, by a jerking, irregular and intermittent pulse, by palpita- 
tion and dyspncea, attacks of vertigo, congestion of the brain and 
dropsical swelling of the limbs. Simple dilatation of the heart 
usually accompanies the valvular disease. 

Treatment. — When the pulse is irregular or irritable, iron, 
gentian and ginger may be given. For the jerky violent action of 
the heart give 20 to 30 drop doses of digitalis or of veratrum 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 203 

viride. The potassium iodide and general tonics are of tempo- 
rary benefit and stimulants should be given when the animal is 
weak. Very few animals recover and remain useful for any 
length of time when the valves of the heart have once been in- 
volved in organic disease. 

MYOCARDITIS. 

Myocarditis is the inflammation of the heart muscle. This 
disease sometimes accompanies pyremia and septicemia. It can 
be traced to foreign bodies, especially in cattle. Foreign bodies 
may be swallowed and passed through the walls of the stomach 
into the muscle of the heart and there set up an inflammation. 
Strangles may cause this inflammation in the horse. It usually 
terminates fatally and at autopsy we find abscesses in different 
parts of the body. 

The myositis is shown by the inability of the heart muscle to 
contract forcibly and it results in a weak, rapid, soft pulse with 
irregular heart sounds. The course of the disease is very rapid 
and terminates suddenly from paralysis or rupture of the heart. 

The heart muscle at post has a yellowish, boiled appearance 
and is so friable that it tears easily. Small abscesses may be 
scattered through it. If the disease is of long duration and be- 
comes chronic, the fibrous tissue may increase to great extent, 
extending through the muscle in every direction and largely re- 
placing it. This makes the wall of the heart very hard. 

Treatment.— Quiet is of the greatest importance. The animal 
should be kept in an airy stall, his legs should be well rubbed 
and bandaged with flannel. Aid the heart by the use of tonics 
and stimulants. Strychnine in one grain doses twice daily, 
whisky in 4-ounce doses every two to> four hours and digitalis 
in 1-dram doses every three to six hours are indicated remedies. 

HYPERTROPHY AND ATROPHY. 

Hypertrophy of the heart means enlargement and it occurs 
with or without dilatation oi the cavities. This unnatural con- 
ditigm may be general or lpgal, over one ventricle or both or in- 



204 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

volving only part of one. It alters the shape of the heart, which 
has a more nearly round appearance when hypertrophied. The 
left ventricle is the most likely to be involved, probably on ac- 
count of the larger amount of work it has to do. The enlarge- 
ment may be due to the dilatation of the cavities or it may be due 
to increased thickness of the walls. In draft horses both are 
likely to occur together. Ossification of the valves may occur. 

Simple dilatation is dilatation of the cavities, principally the 
right ventricle, without thickening of the walls. Sometimes even 
a thinning of the wall of the right ventricle is seen. 

Simple hypertrophy is the condition in which the ventricular 
walls are thickened but the cavities are normal in size. 

Eccentric hypertrophy implies both the thickened walls and 
the dilated cavities. 

Concentric hypertrophy implies the thickened walls and the 
contraction of the cavities. 

Hypertrophy with dilatation is by far the most frequent form 
of cardiac enlargement. The heart may be three or four times 
its natural size. 

Etiology. — Long-continued, severe exertion always causes car- 
diac enlargement. It is seen in fast horses, especially trotters 
and pacers that have done hard campaigning for three or four 
years, and aged hard worked draft horses. This hypertrophy 
gives little or no inconvenience unless the animal is attacked by 
some other disease, then he is more liable to succumb than if 
he had a normal heart. Inflammatory diseases with high fever, 
especially pneumonia, is liable to produce simple dilatation. The 
concentric hypertrophy follows long continued over-exertion. The 
horse usually dies from some disease aggravated by the weak 
condition of the heart. 

Semeiology. — The heart in simple, eccentric and concentric 
hypertrophy gives a powerful impulse at each beat ; pulse full 
and strong. In simple dilatation it gets weaker and weaker until 
severe dyspnoea results. If the pulse is small and feeble at the 
jaw we may conclude that there is some cardiac weakness, 
probably simple dilatation. 

Treatment, — In simple dilatation and other cardiac weak- 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 205 

nesses give the animal rest and keep from excitement. Digitalis, 
strychnine and other stimulants are indicated. 

Atrophy is the contracting and wasting of the muscular sub- 
stance of the heart. The heart grows smaller and harder and 
the muscle fibers lose their striations. In the muscle protoplasm 
are to be found around the nuclei brown pigment granules and 
in severe cases the pigments may lie loose between the fibers. 
This condition is called brown atrophy of the heart. 

The chief symptom is weakness of the pulse. In the horse 
the pulse could not be taken at the jaw and as the consequence 
changes are apt to occur in any part of the body. 

FATTY DEGENERATION. 

This form of degeneration may involve the whole organ or it 
may be limited to patches, which would give the heart a mottled 
appearance. When the condition is general the heart is flabby 
and in extreme cases collapses when cut. Fatty infiltration de- 
posits fat between the fibres while in degeneration the muscle 
protoplasm itself is changed into fat. Fatty degeneration is often 
associated with other morbid conditions such as obesity, dilata- 
tion, rupture, aneurism, etc. When it exists alone its presence 
is seldom suspected previous to death. It may be due to de- 
teriorated conditions of the blood in wasting diseases, excessive 
hemorrhages, or to poisoning with arsenic and phosphorus. Fatty 
infiltration co-exists with obesity. 

Symptoms. — The most prominent symptoms of fatty degener- 
ation are a feeble action of the heart, a remarkably slow pulse, 
general debility and attacks of vertigo. It may involve a lia- 
bility to sudden death from rupture of the walls. 

Obesity of the heart is the deposit of immense quantities of 
fat around the heart. The result of this is a very weak heart, 
shortness of breath, which runs into dyspnoea. The animal may 
be all right when standing still but as soon as exercised the 
trouble shows. 



206 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

POLYPI OR TUMORS OF THE HEART. 

Tumors may develop on the inside or outside of the heart. On 
the inside they are more likely to take the form of polypi. They 
are usually orginated from vegetations attached to the base of 
the valves. These polypi may become regular fibrous growths 
such as are seen following an inflammation. They are more 
often found upon the lining of the auricle than upon the ventricle. 
Fragments of these vegetations often float off as emboli and 
lodge in some other part of the body, as the brain, where they 
produce degeneration, or coma and finally death. 

When these tumors form in the heart they can be diagnosed 
by auscultation ; a rasping sound reveals their presence. 

Vascular tumors are frequently found on the outside of the 
heart at the apex. Sometimes they contain hydatids. 

RUPTURE. 

Rupture of the heart may occur as the result of some previous 
disease, such as fatty degeneration, dilatation with weakness of 
the walls, etc. It may be caused by external violence, a crushing 
fall, pressure from some great weight, etc. Jumping sometimes 
causes it. 

The rupture more frequently occurs in the left ventricle, al- 
though it may occur in the auricles. Death quickly follows a 
rupture. 

Sometimes the heart is found congenitally misplaced. It is 
sometimes on the right side and sometimes in the front outside of 
the chest cavity, or in the abdomen. This condition of the heart 
is called Ectopia Cordis. 

DISEASES OF THE BLOOD VESSELS. 

ARTERITIS. 

Inflammation of the lining of an artery is called arteritis. 
This inflammation sometimes spreads to the media and adventitia 
and it is hard to find what causes it. The strongylus armatus is 



OK VETERINARY MEDICINE. 207 

often found right under the coat of the vessel where it sets up 
an inflammation. Other worms, may cause this condition. The 
iliac artery in females is sometimes injured in parturition, set- 
ting up ill results. 

The most common result is the formation of a thrombus at 
the point of inflammation. It may grow so as to obstruct the ves- 
sel and it is then spoken of as thrombosis of the artery. The par- 
tially organized lymph may become detached and float off to some 
other part, as an embolus. When an embolus reaches a vessel 
too small for it to pass, it becomes lodged and plugs the vessel, 
producing embolism. 

Treatment. — Embolism is incurable and thrombosis may pro- 
duce serious results. Thrombosis must be treated with hot or 
cold applications externally and internally — acetanilid, quinine 
and belladonna. In case of arteritis of the iliacs give a laxative 
and cold rectal injections (60 degrees F.) with a little belladonna 
in it. Keep the animal warm in cold weather. 

ANEURISM. 

Aneurism is a dilatation of an artery and it is sometimes 
called a pulsating tumor. This may be the result of one or two 
causes. First may be mentioned weakness of the arterial walls, 
which the pressure dilates. The walls may get very thin and 
sometimes rupture and the animal bleeds to death. This condi- 
tion usually occurs in the posterior aorta. Worms may cause 
aneurism, especially in the colic artery. 

If the aneurism is external, apply pressure in the form of a 
truss. If it is in a vessel that can be dispensed with, ligate it. 
It may occur from stricture caused by arteritis, the dilatation be- 
ing anterior to it. 

PHLEBITIS. 

Inflammation of the veins, is called phlebitis and it is either 
traumatic or idiopathic — idiopathic as regards its origin. In the 
horse it is usually traumatic. As the result of the inflammation 
there is extensive exudation into the vein, which finally becomes 



208 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

obliterated at the point of injury. More or less pus is discharged. 

The idiopathic form is seen in the human, but seldom or never 
in the horse. In the human it is associated with milk leg at 
times. 

Symptoms. — Local heat and swelling. If the vein is obliter- 
ated, it is like a cord. 

Treatment. — Ordinary antiseptic treatment. If there is a 
suppurating wound present, it must be curetted and treated freely 
with antiseptics. 

VARIX. 

Varix is a dilated vein, sometimes called varicose veins. It 
is due to obstruction or weakness of the venous walls. Vari- 
cosity of the jugular is sometimes met with, especially where the 
two jugulars meet. A varix of the jugular is sometimes seen in 
the cite of a goitre. It may be mistaken for a goitre, but it is 
softer and is quite compressible. A varix of the saphena major 
is often seen in connection with a bog or bone spavin. 

Treatment. — Pressure is about the only treatment. In the 
human, elastic stockings and bands are used on the legs. In the 
case of bone spavin you will find the saphena major enlarged. 
In firing, be careful not to press the iron too heavily when over 
the part. In case of bog spavin it is sometimes ligated. 

DISEASES OF THE URINARY SYSTEM. 

The chief function of the kidneys is the removal of the sur- 
plus nitrogen of the body in the form of urea, and the surplus 
water. Most of the poisons of the body also those of disease are 
thrown off through the kidneys. The kidneys, therefore, are the 
sanitary scavengers and purifiers of the system, and when their 
functions are impaired or arrested, the retained poisons quickly 
show their presence in the resulting disorder of the skin, nervous 
system, and in fact all the other organs. On the other hand, 
scarcely an important organ of the body can suffer derangement 
without a corresponding disorder of the urinary system. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 209 

The prominent causes of urinary diseases may be summed up 
as follows : 

All extensive inflammations and acute diseases attended by 
fever diminish the liquids of the urine and increase the solids — 
waste products — resulting in the irritation of the urinary organs 
or the poisoning of the system at large by the retention of the 
surplus waste. 

Diseases of the heart and lungs, by interfering with the free 
onward flow of the blood from the right side of the heart, tend 
to throw that liquid back upon the veins, and this backward 
pressure of venous blood reacts upon the kidneys. 

Poisons in the food and water (such as irritant diuretic 
plants, musty hay or oats), green vegetables covered with hoar 
frost, excess of phosphates in such food as bran, peas, lentils, 
vetches, rape cake, cotton-seed cake, etc., deprivation of water, 
producing too great concentration of the body tissues, — these 
are direct causes of disturbance in the kidneys. 

A disordered liver producing an excess of bile will color the 
urine ; an excess of hippuric acid and its allied products favor 
the formation of calcareous deposits ; of taurocholic acid, the 
destruction of the blood elements and consequent irritation of the 
kidneys ; of glycogen, the production of saccharine urine. 

Any disorder leading to impaired function of the stomach is 
causative of an excess of hippuric acid, of bile, of oxalic acid, of 
sugar, etc., in the urine, resulting in irritation of the urinary 
passages. 

Diseases of the brain and nervous system, notably of the base 
of the brain and the spinal cord, induce various urinary disorders, 
such as chylous urine, diabetes, and albuminuria. 

In some cases the changes in the urine are the sole sign of 
disease. In health the horse's urine is of a deep amber color 
and has a strong odor. On a feed of grass it may show uniform 
transparency, while on a grain and hay ration there is an abundant 
white deposit of carbonate of lime. Of the morbid changes the 
following are to be looked for : ( 1 ) Color ; white from deposited 
salts of lime ; brown or red from blood clots or coloring matter ; 
yellow or orange from bile or from blood pigment ; pale from 
excess o r water; or variously from vegetable ingredients 



?10 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

(santonin makes it red; rhubarb or senna, brown; methylene 
blue, tar or carbolic acid, green). (2) Density: The 
horse's urine may be 1.030 to 1.050, but the specific gravity may 
exceed this, as in diabetes, or it may sink to 1.007, as in diuresis. 
(3) Chemical reaction: The horse on a vegetable diet has alkaline 
arine, while in the sucking colt or in a horse fed on flesh or on 
his own tissues, as in starvation or abstinence during disease, the 
urine is acid. (4) Organic constituents : Albumen, mucous shreds, 
casts, worms, etc. (5) Salts: These crystalize out spontaneously 
as the result of excess of some acid or base in the urine. Pus 
and an excess of mucous are frequently found in the urine . 

ALBUMINURIA. 

In the horse this can be safely called equine Bright's. It 
occurs in two forms, acute and chronic. It is mostly due to indi- 
gestion. The chief symptom is the presence of albumin in the 
urine, but sometimes none may be present. Accordingly, several 
tests should be made for the determination of the albumin. You 
cannot rely on a single sample. Tube casts are also present. 
These are cylinders of fibrous coagulum, the coagulation having 
taken place in the uriniferous tubules to which the casts conform 
in shape. In the case of fatty degeneration the casts will have 
a waxy appearance, due to the presence of fat and oil in them. 

Tests for Albumin in the Urine. — Put some of the urine in a 
test-tube and boil it : if any albumin is present, a white coagulum 
will form. Heating the urine will also precipitate phosphates if 
in excess, but nitric acid will dissolve them. If the urine is 
strongly alkaline, neutralize it with a little acetic acid, for alka- 
line urine may coagulate when heated even though albumin is 
not present. Another test consists in placing a little urine in a 
test-tube and carefully pouring down the side of the tube a little 
strong nitric acid — pour it in such a way that it goes to the 
bottom of the tube underneath the urine and a white line of coag- 
ulation will form between the acid and the urine. 

Semeiology. — The first indication of equine Bright's is stiff- 
ness in the gait of the horse — of the hind parts. In old con- 
firmed cases they step about eight or ten inches to a step, are stiff 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 211 

in turning and inclined to stretch. Ultimately the horse will 
suffer constitutionally, — animal will become hide-bound, Coat 
long, becomes weaker and weaker in the hind parts, finally gets 
down and is unable to get up, delirium follows, then uric acid 
poisoning and death. 

Treatment. — The treatment is usually not applied early 
enough for the disease is not then diagnosed. But if it can be 
detected in its early stages, the stomach should be given a com- 
plete change of food. If possible the animal should be put on 
grass. Give him stomachics and saline laxatives. Exercise 
regularly. Give gentian, nux vomica, arsenic, zingiber, with a 
little charcoal. Diuretics in any form are not indicated. Give 
plenty of bran and sloppy food. After a few weeks' time change 
to a sour tonic. 

Fl. Ext. Gent. Ed. Pulv ounce j 

Hydrochloric Acid dram j 

Alcohol ounce iv 

Aqua qs. ad pint j 

M. Sig. — 1 ounce 3 times a day before eating. 

After using this treatment for a week or ten days go back to 
the other treatment. 

HEMATURIA. 

Hematuria is bloody urine but not a high-colored urine ne- 
cessarily. The blood is usually passed in clots and they can be 
seen on the floor. 

Etiology. — Severe strain of the loins, cystic calculus, strong 
diuretics, various parasites in the kidneys, especially the strongy- 
lus gigas, congestion and degeneration of the kidney and can- 
cers, especially melanosis, and blows across the loins, are the 
principal causes of this disease. The strongylus gigas seems to be 
partial to the kidney and develops enormously there. A male 
10 inches long and a female 14 inches long were taken from the 
kidney of a dog that died in the Chicago Veterinary College. 

Treatment. — Treat as the symptoms indicate. If the disease 
is caused by strain, apply cold applications and keep up for two 
or three hours. If this fails to do any good, give the horse a 



212 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

cold water injection and run the hose in three or four feet. If a 
calculus is found in the bladder it must be removed. If the 
hemorrhage continues and no calculus in the bladder has been 
found nor any bruise, the cause may be a renal calculus. Hy- 
drochloric acid internally will reduce the alkalinity of the urine. 
In case of parasites nothing can be done. 

DIABETES INSIPIDUS. 

Diabetes insipidus or polyuria is profuse micturition and as- 
sociated with it is great thirst. The urine is clear as water and 
horse passes it every fifteen to thirty minutes. Stable men call 
the condition flooding. The specific gravity of the urine is about 
the same as water — 1.002 or 1.003. In horses clear urine is fre- 
quently a sign of blood poisoning, as in glanders. 

Etiology. — The chief cause is indigestion, or mal-assimilation 
of the food. Improper food, such as musty oats or hay or kiln- 
dried oats, or too free use of diuretics may be the cause of the 
trouble. 

The horse will run down in flesh, he develops a long staring 
coat, gets wabbly behind and finally dies from collapse. The ap- 
petite usually remains good. 

Horses generally recover but mules do not. Post mortem 
shows a general pallor of all the parts ; the kidney, especially the 
cortical portion, is soft. 

Treatment. — Iodine is the best remedy and should be given 
in large doses. To a 1,200 pound horse give a dram of the iodine 
crystals in a linseed bolus. This quenches the thirst and inci- 
dentally reduces the flow of urine. In the horse one dose is 
usually sufficient; if not, repeat in three or four days. Follow- 
ing the dose of iodine, treat the indigestion. Give bicarbonate 
of sodium, — a dram three times a day for a week and then 
change to hydrochloric acid for a week. Then go back to soda. 
Give vegetable bitters and feed on grass or bran. Do not let the 
horse bolt his food. 

A mild form of polyuria is seen in horses fed continuously 
on hay and oats without any change. The common remedy is a 
tablespoonful of starch in the food three times a day, for a day 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 213 

or two. Give bran with the oats and a mild purgative if the 
animal is not working. 

DIABETES MELLITUS. 

Diabetes mellitus (glycosuria) is a condition where sugar is 
found in the urine. It is comparatively common in the human 
but it is seldom found among the other animals. Dogs fed ex- 
clusively on liver develop fatty degeneration of the liver and it is 
suspected that they die from glycosuria. Professor Williams 
says that he never saw this disease in the horse or in herbivorous 
animals. 

Etiology. — The predisposing cause is continuous over-eating. 
The disease is a result of indigestion. 

Semeiology. — The urine is excessive in amount and of high 
specific gravity. Next symptom is lassitude. Then follows 
swelling of the feet and red spots on the skin of the legs. These 
spots become larger and finally break out in raw sores. 

Treatment. — All starch and sugar should be withheld from 
the food and the diet should consist of meat and nitrogenous 
foods. Give plenty of water. Avoid irritating substances. 

Besides sugar in the urine, pus may appear, also mucus in 
increased amount. The mucus may be seen as a floculent cloud 
which is easily shaken up when the urine is in a bottle. It never 
settles. Pus settles to the bottom of the vessel in a whitish yel- 
low deposit, which is easily shaken up. Unless the pus is very 
abundant it need give no alarm. It may be caused by calculi or 
some irritating substance in the food or medicine. The urine 
must be examined microscopically to determine its presence. In 
order to clear up the urine, remove the cause of the irritation. 
Give the animal something to allay it and also give him a lax- 
ative. Give the horse fluid extract Saw Palmetto in ounce doses 
three times a day. 

OXALURIA. 

Oxaluria is a disease seen in horses oftener than in any other 
animal. It is a condition in which the oxalic acid if formed in 



214 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

the body crystallizes out in the urine in the form of oxalate of 
lime. Oxalic acid itself is a product of imperfect combustion of 
the nitrogenous and amyloidal substances of the body. This 
condition is found to be comparatively common in animals which 
are overfed and are given irregular work. Fatiguing labor after 
a period of idleness and high feeding will cause it. The most 
aggravated cases are found in trotting stallions. 

Symptoms. — Great dullness and languor are marked symp- 
toms. In severe cases there is rapid loss of flesh, — a difference 
in flesh can be seen in a horse within a week. He has a capricious 
appetite. On examination nothing can be found. The animal 
runs from bad to worse and gets stiff in the loins. In from 
ten to 'fifteen days a bran-like scurf appears on the skin. This 
is a prominent symptom. In four or five weeks, if the disease 
runs that long, he becomes hide bound and emaciated. He passes 
water oftener than normal and the urine is of pale amber color. 
The urethra becomes scalded by the urine and he dreads to mic- 
turate. The mouth is furred, has a sour smell and a soapy feel. 
The bowels are irregular. Upon testing the urine the reaction 
will be neutral, but after standing a little while it will be alka- 
line. Examined microscopically oxalates of lime will be found, 
— octahedral crystals in the horse and dumb-bell shaped in the 
dog and human. These crystals are soluble in nitric acid with- 
out effervescence, but not in water and are not affected by boil- 
ing in acetic acid or by potassium hydroxide. 

Treatment. — Indigestion being the cause of* the condition, 
give the animal a complete change of diet and withhold all sac- 
charines. Give him bran, grass, etc., and gentle and regular ex- 
ercise. Drinking water should be pure, rain water is the best. 
In addition to this give mineral acids, hydrochloric acid. Give 
Saw Palmetto. If he is in much pain, give a little morphine or 
codine and combine a little belladonna with the palmetto. 

RENAL CONGESTION. 

Renal congestion is hyperemia of the kidneys. It may occur 
as a sequel of any debilitating disease. It may be the result of 
irritating substances applied to the skin or being present in the 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 215 

food. Absorption of cantharides, which has been spread over a 
large surface, or too much turpentine administered internally, 
exposure to cold and dampness, accidental injuries or violence, 
blood contamination, — these are the principal causes of renal 
congestion and in all cases the Malpighian tufts of the kidney 
are congested. In Azoturia passive congestion occurs. 

Post Mortem. — The kidneys are very large and red ; there 
will be ecchymoses corresponding to the Malpighian tufts 
sometimes on the surface. 

Treatment. — Ascertain the cause if possible and remove it. 
If too much turpentine has been given, give the horse a small 
dose of oil and saw palmetto. Belladonna is indicated inter- 
nally. Apply hot rugs to the loins and give perfect rest for a 
few days and a light diet. Nephritis usually follows. 

NEPHRITIS. 

Nephritis is inflammation of the kidneys. There are two 
forms. The first form is the mild or subacute. It follows some 
debilitating disease such as influenza, — in fact any weakening 
disease in which the fever has been high for some time, say a 
week. Congestion occurs around the loops of Henle and the 
Malphighian tufts and is due to the accumulation of debris in 
the system resulting from the previous fever, during whifh the 
kidneys were inactive. 

Pathogenesis. — High fever lasting for about a week without 
diuresis being- produced. The kidneys fail to remove the accu- 
mulating debris and become congested to the extent of inflamma- 
tion as a result. This is Bright's disease of the kidneys. It is 
seen most often in the dog, cat and human, but seldom in the 
horse. 

Post Mortem. — The kidneys are found congested. 

Symptoms. — The animal seems to be convalescent from the 
fever which first attacked him when suddenly the appetite fails, 
the urine becomes scanty and high-colored, in some cases quite 
red. Upon testing it albumin is present. Emaciation takes 
place and general debility comes on rapidly. There is a staring 
coat, oedema of the legs and stiffness of gait. 



216 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

Treatment. — Hygiene should be good ; give scalded oats and 
bran, equal parts. The kidneys must be made to work or the 
horse will die. Diuretics are strongly indicated ; at the same time 
keep the bowels slightly relaxed with sulphate of sodium. When 
the disease becomes chronic the animal will die but he may live 
for two or three years. 

The second form of nephritis is the acute parenchymatous. 
This form come on suddenly with a tendency to kill in about 
five days or produces one or more abscesses, later. If it attacks 
both kidneys it will kill in five days, but if only one is affected 
the horse may live for some time and possibly recover. 

Etiology. — Anything that causes renal congestion may cause 
acute parenchymatous nephritis. Sometimes severe strains of 
the psoas muscles cause inflammation which extends to the kid- 
neys. The most typical cases come from cold and dampness. 

Symptoms. — The horse is in great pain and has an anxious 
countenance, glistening eyes, and although restless is disinclined 
to move and yet may sweat. His temperature may run up four 
to six degrees. He does not seem to wish- to move his hind legs 
and stands persistently. He passes only a small quantity of urine 
and it is hot and high-colored. If pressure is put against the af- 
fected part there is pain. If the horse is forced to move he has 
a straddling gait. There is great loss of appetite. He grows 
rapidly worse and may die in the course of three days, but the 
general average- is five. The urine is entirely suppressed before 
death. The form of death is syncope. 

Post Mortem.- — In a very acute case without pus the kidneys 
will be swollen and dark red. Occasionally you will find part 
of one or both gangrenous. 

Treatment. — This form of acute nephritis requires prompt 
treatment. Put hot wet rugs over the loins and change them 
every half hour. Keep the animal where he is warm and com- 
fortable. Give rectal injections of warm water with a little bella- 
donna in it, — Fl. Ext. Bella, half ounce to water four pints. 
Give horse linseed tea to drink, acetanilid in moderate doses as 
often as he can stand it and aconite in small repeated doses. No 
matter what the treatment, however, the animal very seldom, if 
ever, recovers, 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 217 

RENAL CALCULUS. 

A renal calculus is a calcareous secretion which is usually 
found in the pelvis of the kidney. It may be in the form of 
stone of considerable size or it may be in the form of gravel, 
which floats down through the ureters with the urine into the 
bladder. The calcareous material may lodge in the ureters or 
may remain in the bladder to form large stones. In case the 
ureter becomes obstructed the pelvis of the kidneys will become 
distended, local inflammation will -follow with more or less sup- 
puration. Suppurative nephritis will be the ultimate result un- 
less the stone is dislodged. A horse in this condition would die 
from a combination of pyaemia and uraemia and coma would be 
the form of death. The stone is composed of carbonate and 
phosphate of lime, the carbonates predominating. 

Symptoms. — Colicky pains at irregular intervals are present, 
especially after severe exercise. The urine is exceedingly heavy, 
being charged with earthy salts. Occasionally there is some blood 
in the urine and it will clot on the floor. Upon examination of 
the ureter through the rectum you can detect the distension and 
will feel the soft, fluctuating enlargement which can be traced 
to the kidney. 

Treatment. — Give the horse pure water to drink (rain water 
is the best). Give plenty of bran and grass in season and hydro- 
chloric acid in dram doses once a day in a pint of water. 

CYSTITIS. 

Cystitis is inflammation of the lining of the bladder. 

Etiology. — The inflammation may result from calculi or from 
gravel. The most common cause is irritation of the mucosa or 
irritating substances in the food or water. In the human it is 
often caused by gonorrhoea. 

Semeiology. — Nervous excitement is marked at first and then 
depression comes on. Elevation of temperature may or may not 
be present. Micturition is very painful with spasms of the 
bladder (tenesmus). The horse urinates frequently and the 
urine is in small quantities, hot and high-colored, sometimes 



218 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

streaked with blood, especially if the condition is caused by cal- 
culi, or gravel. The bowels are apt to be congested and the 
stools coated with slime. If the cause of irritation is in the 
alimentary tract, then its mucous membrane will be congested 
and catarrhal. The disease may run a rapid course and termi- 
nate fatally in three or four days But in a mild case it may 
run three or four weeks. 

Treatment. — General anodyne course should be followed. If 
the inflammation is caused by a calculus, remove it if possible. 
The anodyne course is to give him linseed tea with rain water. 
To keep up the strength of the horse, give him raw eggs and 
milk and if he will eat it, grass. If the cause of the irritation 
can be removed, then put the animal on stimulants such as 
strychnine, nitro-glycerine, etc. Flush the bladder with a sat- 
urated solution of boracic acid two or three times a day. The 
catheter should be sterilized and the solution should be run in 
from a fountain syringe. Cramps may occur, but when they 
cease, go on with the treatment. Keep the bowels open with 
a laxative and give rather liberally saw palmetto or san metto. 

DYSURIA. 

Dysuria is the painful passage of urine. This may be caused 
by the partial obstruction or irritation of the mucous lining of 
the urethra. The most aggravated cases of this is seen from 
gravel in the form of cystic calculi or smaller grains floating 
down the urethra. In males the next most common cause is en- 
largement of the prostrate glands. It generally comes in old 
age, and is attributed to too much stud work. Occasionally, but 
rarely, it is seen in geldings. Dysuria is sometimes caused by a 
sabulous concretion in the fossa navicularis, called by horsemen 
the "bean." It is sometimes so great as to press upon the 
urethra. Other causes of dysuria are thickening of the neck of 
the bladder from cystitis of the bulbous portion of the urethra t 
cancer of the penis, tumor of the glands penis, foulness of the 
sheath from the accumulation of sebaceous material, producing 
swelling and pressure. Another cause is the horse urinating in 
his sheath either from habit or malformation. In the female, 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 219 

at the opening in the vagina there is often found a small tumor, 
called a caruncle, which extends sometimes into the urethra and 
makes micturition slow and painful. Prolapsus of the uterus 
may be a cause ; hardened feces may press down upon the vagina 
and urethra. In the male stings of bees may cause swelling of 
the sheath. 

Treatment. — If possible locate the cause. This is sometimes 
very difficult. In case of enlargement of the prostrate in the 
dog or stallion the old treatment consisted in applying tincture of 
iodine to the perineum and giving idodide of potash internally 
for a long time. But this is more or less injurious to the re- 
productive power of the animal. Pass the catheter occasionally : 
in bad cases it may be passed two or three times a day. In the 
human the prostrate gland may have to be remoyed in part, but 
this is a very dangerous operation. In case of thickening of 
the neck of the bladder give external treatment that will allay 
the irritation of the mucous membrane of the bladder, which is 
often due to the acid condition of the urine caused by eating too 
much meat. In such a case alkalies will overcome the acidity 
and relieve it. Retire the animal from stud work according to 
the severity of the case. In foulness of the sheath, wash the 
parts with soap and water and introduce a wad of absorbent cot- 
ton dipped in carbolized oil. Swab out once a day and at each 
dressing bring the penis down, pulling gently and slowly. 

ISCHURIA. 

Ischuria is suppression of the urine. There may be none se- 
creted or there may be inability to pass it if it is present. When 
the latter is the case it is usually from paralysis of the muscular 
coat of the bladder. 

This condition usually exists when the horse is kept too long 
without giving him a chance to urinate. Some horses are pe- 
culiar as to when and how they do this, so never fail to humor 
them in their peculiarities in this respect. Therefore, when you 
notice colicky pains, switching of the tail, and restlessness you 
can suspect the cause. Many horses dislike to urinate while 
down ; therefore in azoturia the water should be drawn from 



220 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

them. When a horse is to be raised with slings, never fail to 
draw the water from him before raising him or rupture of the 
bladder may occur. When no urine is secreted as in purpura 
hemorrhagica, then the kidneys are at fault. 

Treatment. — When the urine is not secreted diuretics and 
diffusible stimulants are indicated. If there is spasmodic con- 
traction of the neck of the bladder, then anodynes should be 
given, — as hot water and belladonna. Try passing the catheter 
smeared with solid extract of belladonna. This will often relieve 
the constriction. If you are sure of paralysis being present, 
give one dram of powdered nux vomica in the feed night and 
morning for a few days. 

The condition should be treated promptly and the animal not 
neglected. Otherwise the case may become serious. 

ENURESIS. 

Enuresis is incontinuence of the urine. When the animal can- 
not retain the urine in the bladder it dribbles away as it forms. 
The condition is usually due to paralysis of the neck of the 
bladder; the muscles fail to contract and the urine dribbles down 
the legs, scalding them. It is sometimes very painful. In the 
male the penis becomes paralyzed and hangs down. 

Treatment. — Nerve tonics are indicated, with local shocking 
such as dashing cold water on the perineum. This often resus- 
citates the waning power. A gallon of water given per rectum 
produces a shock and this comes in good in this condition. Nux 
vomica taken continuously for a month will promote the general 
health. 

Strangury is the passage of the urine in drops on account of 
severe irritability of the mucous lining of the bladder or of the 
muscularis. The urine comes away every few minutes in drops 
or in small quantities. Apparently there is hyperesthesia of the 
bladder mucosa. The retention of the urine causes inflammation 
of the bladder. 

The treatment must be toward allaying the irritability. 
Therefore give anodynes such as opium, belladonna, etc., and 
laxatives, — oil and linseed tea to drink, 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 221 

URETHRITIS. 

Inflammation of the lining of the urethra is called urethritis. 
Any of the causes producing inflammation in the bladder may 
cause urethritis. If a stallion copulates with a mare suffering 
from leucorrhcea, urethritis is apt to follow. 

Treatment. — Mild soothing diuretics and stimulants in the 
form of copaiba, 1 dram dose three times a day, or oil of sandal- 
wood are good remedies. Suspend the horse's stud work. Be 
careful about using local injection. A solution of bichloride of 
mercury 1 to 2000 can be used and twenty-four hours after an- 
other solution 1 to 6000. Do this twice a day for two or three 
days. In all these cases relax the bowels with the salines. As 
a rule the inflammation does not extend further up than three to 
six inches, but if it does, it is due to the irritation of gravel in 
the bladder. If the condition arises in a stallion, retire for a 
week' or two. Clean the parts with soap and water three times 
a day and at the same time syringe mild antiseptics into the 
urethra. Solution of sulphate of zinc two grains to an ounce 
of water is the best. Do not manipulate the penis after injection. 

Rupture of the bladder may occur occasionally but it is very 
rare. It is more likely to occur in the human than in the other 
animals. It may be seen in cases of azoturia or in cases of long 
rentention of the urine, or it may be ruptured by raising a re- 
cumbent horse with slings without first emptying the bladder. 
It is always fatal. 

Eversion of the bladder often occurs. The bladder protrudes 
through the vulva, appearing like a case of prolapsus or a poly- 
pus. Examination will tell the difference. The lining of the 
bladder is velvety and soft and the openings of the ureters can 
be found. Return the bladder to its proper position with a 
probang and give anodynes and oil. 

TUMORS. 

A tumor may be defined as any prominence or growth, un- 
natural, on the body or in any organ or gland. It may be com- 
posed of the same tissue as where it grows, or it may be en- 



222 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

tirely dissimilar. A tumor grows by cell-proliferation, the same 
as other parts of the body; new blood vessels and lymphatics ex- 
tend into the growth and furnish it nutriment. These nutrient 
vessels are usually much enlarged. As a rule nerve fibers ex- 
tend into a tumor. Tumors are subject to all the changes which 
occur in any other tissue, such as fatty degeneration, suppuration, 
ulceration, gangrene, pigmentation, calcification, etc. Necrosis 
sometimes takes place, often to such an extent as to entirely 
destroy the tumor. 

Tumors are of various shapes and forms : nodular, when re- 
sembling nodules; tuberous, when like a tuber; fungoid, when 
cauliflower shaped; polypoid, when like a polypus pear shaped; 
papillary, when they are shaped like a papula; dentritic, when 
they have roots or branches. Tumors may be single or multi- 
ple; this is particularly seen in black cancer, such as is seen 
around the tails of white horses — the melanotic tumors. 

Tumors are either malignant or benign. A malignant tumor 
has the following characteristics: (1) It invades the surround- 
ing tissues by peripheral or eccentric growth ; (2) it has a ten- 
dency to recur locally after removal, (3) it will spread to other 
parts of the body, by metastasis; (4) it has a tendency to inter- 
fere with the nutrition and well being of the body and results 
in cachexia. 

The real cause of tumors is not known. Predisposing causes 
are such as heredity, mechanical injuries, parasitic invasion, — in 
fact anything that will lower the resistance of the animal. Con- 
heim developed the theory that tumors are due to embryonal 
displacement,— either to misplaced cells or to superfluous cells. 
Tumors do not develop in young animals so much as in old. 
The melanotic tumors in horses do not develop usually until the 
age of ten or fifteen years. 

Tumors may be divided into six large classes : 
1. Connective tissue tumors (histioid). 

a. Fibroma. 

b. Myxoma. , : . 

c. Sarcoma — round, spindle-celled, mixed, and 
giant-celled. 

d. Endothelioma. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 223 

e. Lipoma. 

f. Chondroma. 

g. Osteoma. 
h. Glioma. 

2. Myomata. 

3. Neuromata. 

4. Angiomata. 

5. Epitheliomata. 

6. Teratomata. These are mixed tumors, which are 

composed of all kinds of tissue. They are con- 
genital. Teeth and hair may be found in them. 
Tumors of the first and fifth classes are most likely to be- 
come malignant. A malignant tumor is called a cancer, and 
there are several different kinds, such as hard, soft, pigmented, 
etc. A hard cancer is called a scirrhus cancer, especially by the 
old writers. A scirrhus cancer is very hard and dense and con- 
sists of white tissue. It is sometimes of uneven hardness ; other 
times it has hard projections extending from it into the tissue to 
which it is attached. The tumor cuts like cartilage and from the 
cut surface a persistent hemorrhage is prone to occur. When 
operating it is difficult to arrest the hemorrhage. The scirrhus 
has a special liking for the lymphatic glands. Unless such a 
growth interferes with) mastication or some other functional ac- 
tivity it will produce little or no harm until it begins to break 
down, when ulceration may take place and eventually the tissue 
refuses to heal. Early removal with the knife is the only 
treatment. 

As examples of the soft cancers may be mentioned the en- 
cephaloma, fungus haematoid, seen growing in the eyes of cat- 
tle, medullary fungus, etc. The soft cancerous fungi may be 
found in any of the tissues, but mostly in the glands. In the 
horse it is often found on the penis and may extend to the testi- 
cles ; also on the vulva in the mare. It may affect bones and may 
arise in the periosteum. To the touch the tumor has a soft 
fluctuating feel, but there is no pus in it. Upon cutting into it a 
profuse hemorrhage will take place. Around such tumors is a 
network of veins which have increased in size greatly and this 



224 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

feature makes it difficult to operate. These tumors often break 
down and granulate, going on to ulceration. 

Colloid degeneration frequently takes place in tumors, espe- 
cially in epithelial tumors. The colloid material is amber-colored 
and resembles half melted glue in consistency. Other forms of 
degeneration are the mucoid and the contents may become very 
fluid, forming a cyst. 

Of the connective tissue tumors which become malignant the 
sarcoma is the most common type. The tumor cell is a round 
cell or spindle shaped. The round celled sarcomata are the 
most malignant. These tumors are very prone to metastasis. The 
so-called melanotic cancer is a type of sarcoma. Each cell con- 
tains an abundance of pigment, which is often of so great amount 
that the form of the cell, its nucleus, etc., cannot be made out. 
The pigment may invade the intercellular substance as well. 
These black tumors have every feature of malignancy. Some- 
times they develop very suddenly, producing great lameness. No 
tissue in the body is exempt from them, but their favorite sites 
are the vulva, the anus, and the bare part under the tail. When 
removed, they come back in some other part. They are found 
most frequently in old white horses. 

The epithelial cancer is common. This tumor is composed 
of epithelial cells, which can be of any type. The tumors may 
grow and develop in the skin and mucous membrane or in the 
glands. Metastasis usually follows and even though the tumor 
be removed, it will most always recur. 

A benign tumor usually is surrounded by a capsule. It may 
consist of fat, cartilage, fibrous connective tissue or bone. 

The fibrous connective tissue tumor is called a fibroma. It 
may be soft or hard. The polypus is a form of soft fibroma 
which is usually found in the nose. It is attached by a pedicle 
and in the horse it may be so long as to interfere with the epi- 
glottis. It produces a difficulty in breathing, a sort of snoring 
or snuffling, the same as heard in the pug dog. The best way to 
remove a polypus is with a wire ecraseur. If the neck of the 
polypus is small, it can be twisted off with a pair of forceps. 
After removing, wash out with perchloride of iron— 1 dram to 
the pint of water — twice a day. Another kind of fibroma is the 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 225 

wart. The eyelids and the legs are the usual places for warts. 
Not only is the connective tissue increased to form the bulk of 
the wart, but the surface epithelium is increased also and they 
may become malignant. 

An interesting polypus is sometimes found in the vagina of 
the mare and may grow to a large size. It could be confused 
with an everted bladder or with an impervious hymen in fillies. 

The condroma or cartilaginous tumor develops commonly 
on the sternum of the horse or ox, following injury. In the 
horses we may find one growing in the trachea, following trach- 
eotomy or from kicks and wounds. If they are limited in size, 
they can be removed with the knife, but when large, removal 
is impracticable. In the early stage of their growth they are 
largely made up of fibrous connective tissue. 

The so-called osteoma or bone tumor is usually an inflam- 
matory growth and it is not a true tumor. 

The lipoma or fatty tumor consists of fat and it is liable to 
grow in any animal and in any part. Such a tumor is easily re- 
moved ; it is non-vascular. Apply a little cocaine when operating. 

The neuroma is a nerve tumor and it is most commonly seen 
as a sequel of neurotomy. In this operation the nerve should 
be drawn down and cut off so that the end will draw up into the 
wound. Then it will not grow out into the granulations which 
form during the healing of the wound. You will find that when 
the horse is not benefited by the operation of neurotomy, it is 
usually due to the formation of one of these tumors. 

CYSTS. 

Cysts are very common and they are important. Examples 
are Capped Hock, Capped Knee, Wind Galls, etc. They may 
grow on any part of the body, inside or outside. They may 
contain hair and they are lined with skin as well as being cov- 
ered with it. They usually follow an injury. When produced 
they rapidly fill with serum and an acute inflammation takes 
place in from 12 to 48 hours. 

Treatment. — For cystic tumors on a horse's legs the first 
thing to do, especially if they are of large size, is to open them. 



226 THEORY ANt) PRACTICE 

In capped hock it has been proven that an incission can be made 
with safety and it is the only satisfactory treatment. If the 
tumor is not tapped, eventually a fibrous growth will form, which 
may prove difficult to remove. 

Operation. — First find where the point of injury is and lo- 
cate the size and position of the cyst by palpation. Open it with 
a sharp pointed bistoury, never a scalpel, as near the bottom as 
possible. Manipulate the tumor so as to make it bulge at the 
point to be incised and insert the knife slowly at the bottom, 
pointing it inward, upward and outward, till the point of the 
knife is about an inch from the insertion and then cut through. 
Sometimes you will not cut deep enough and the serum will not 
flow, then cut again a little deeper in a similar manner. Do not 
be afraid if the blood flows freely, for the hemorrhage can be 
stopped. Syringe out the cyst with an iodine solution. This 
will prevent reforming. Tincture of iodine, full strength, can 
be used. Never syringe after the first time. Dip a wad of 
oakum in some antiseptic solution and insert in the sack. Bathe 
the wound with hot water an hour at a time and insert a fresh 
piece of oakum after each bathing. Keep up this treatment for 
10 to 20 days, by which time the place will usually become 
healed. A hard fibrous swelling will usually form in the place 
of the cyst and the parts should be bathed with witch hazel, 
added to the same amount of water. Wrap the parts in flannel 
and give a little walking exercise. Animal will be all right in 
about six weeks. 

If an old case is brought to you, open and make a new wound 
of it, poultice and after about a month put on a mild blister. If 
the wound tends to heal with the formation of much fibrous tis- 
sue, hand rubbing will help it very much. 

Serous cysts on the knees of cattle can be opened and treated 
all right if they are young in growth, but if old chronic cases, 
the doctor would better let them alone. Where they form in 
other parts of the body, from kicks and injuries, etc., they can 
be opened at the bottom and some antiseptic be injected. Use 
hot applications an hour at a time and regulate the diet. In 
capped elbow, where the tumor is small and bagging, it can be 
removed by ligating. Tie a cord around it tightly and after two 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 227 

or three days another a little tighter for a day and then cut off 
and sear with a hot iron. Considerable inflammation is apt to 
accompany this method, but it is the best way. 

The ovarian cyst is common in women, cows and cats. It is 
a dropsical condition of the ovary and it does not always involve 
the whole of the organ. In the human these cysts may become 
malignant by the growth of the epithelium lining the cavity. 

Sometimes these cysts can be treated heroically by inserting 
the hand in the vagina and another hand in the anus and crush- 
ing the cyst between the two. The serum escapes into the ab- 
dominal cavity and does no harm. Give soft feed and rest and 
the animal will recover in a day or two. 

Mucous cysts develop in the mucous membrane and fill with 
mucus instead of serum. In the mouth they are called Ranula, 
and they grow into long, tuberous forms. Slit them up full 
length and wash out with boracic acid solution. 

Cysts in the thyroid gland are called bronchocele when they 
are filled with water, and goitre when they fill with the solid 
colloid substance. Goitre is very common in dogs and they fre- 
quently develop into malignant growths of the sarcomatous type. 

Treatment. — In new growths, paint the parts with iodine once 
a day and give iodide of potash internally. If the skin gets 
sore, cease the treatment for a time and then continue again. It 
is a dangerous operation to attempt to dissect such a tumor out. 
It is, however, an operation that is becoming more common 
every day, especially in the human. Goitre is also very common 
in the stallion. Thyroid extract is used in the treatment of goi- 
ters in dogs with much success. 

Dentigerous or teeth-bearing cysts are often found. Tumor 
teeth may be found most anywhere, but frequently at the base 
of the ear, sometimes in the maxillary sinuses or the frontal and 
also in the testicles or ovaries. When they develop at the base 
of the ear, there will first be seen a little swelling, which will 
grow suddenly and finally rupture. Upon cutting it through a 
molar tooth may be found which seems to grow without a matrix. 

Certain inflammations may result in hard fibrous swellings 
which become more or less permanent. The so-called scirrhous 
cord is one example. It is not a true tumor, but is the result of 



228 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

inflammation following castration and the botryomyces is sup- 
posed to play a role. Some part of the fibrous mass will usually 
give evidence of an abscess in the wall of which the fungus can 
be found. Several different kinds of these botryomyces have 
been described and probably no particular kind is specific. The 
fungus seems to be a very large sized coccus, which is found in 
masses much like the zooglcea. 

Muscle tumors or myomtit®, are not very common. If a 
proliferation of the non-striated muscle they are called leiomy- 
oma; if of the striated, rhabdomyoma. Leiomyoma is the most 
common. In the horse leiomyoma of the kidney has been re- 
ported and in the sheep, of the liver. In the human a common 
tumor is the uterine 'fibroid, which is a mixture of non-striated 
muscle and fibrous connective tissue. Leiomyoma of the ovary 
is rare. 

DISEASES OF THE BONES. 

All of the lower animals are subject to diseases of the bones. 
The horse especially is more prone to bone disease because of 
high feeding and rapidity of gait. In health bone is insensible, 
but in disease it is very sensitive. 

• Inflammation of the bone substance is called osteitis ; of the 
periosteum, periostitis ; of the marrow, osteomyelitis. The 
three forms of inflammation are difficult to separate. They are 
usually the result of external injury. 

Inflammation of the bone has the same phenomena as in- 
flammation occurring in soft tissue. It is attended by very 
many of the same changes, but on account of the dense substance 
making up the bone tissue somewhat different results come about. 
Serum, fibrin and pus may be found but they will be less in 
amount. The hard substance of the bone will be absorbed to 
greater or less, extent and become replaced by animal matter, and 
there results a deficiency in the earthy or mineral matter. The 
newly formed tissue is the so-called granulation tissue of bone, 
which after a time becomes ossified. This tissue may be very 
vascular before ossification takes place. Although the bone is 
much enlarged as the result of the inflammation, yet it is much 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 229 

lighter. This condition is a rarifying process and it is called 
osteoporosis. The Haversian spaces are much. increased in size 
and the bone is made porous. Osteoporosis may be observed 
both in spongy and compact bone. 

Osteosclerosis is analogous to cicatricial formation of the 
fibrous connective tissue and is a result of inflammation of bone. 
It may occur without any apparent cause in senility in the diploe 
of the skull, causing it to become dense. It always occurs about 
carious and necrotic areas, constituting one of the chief means by 
which the sequestrum is surrounded by new dense bony tissue. 
Osteosclerotic exostoses of ivory-like hardness are called ebur- 
nations. Such bone is much heavier than normal. 

Periostitis may be acute or chronic. In the acute form the 
morbid changes are found first in the periosteum itself, which 
becomes swollen, hypersemic and more or less infiltrated with 
serum. In some cases infection takes place and suppuration oc- 
curs. The pus collects between the periosteum and the bone, 
elevating the membrane — (subperiosteal abscess). This fre- 
quently brings about a molecular destruction of the surface of 
the bone, causing the mineral structure to crumble away, and 
leaving softened and excavated areas, while particles of the dis- 
integrated bone lie free in the surrounding tissue. To this mole- 
cular death and destruction of bone the name caries is given. 

Caries usually occurs in cancellated bone. It is often seen in 
fistulous withers, caused by the pus burroughing down to the 
bone. The depressed surface has a peculiar velvety feel. It is 
also seen in poll-evil and may involve the axis or even the den- 
tata in poll-evil. Foot Rot in sheep is often followed by caries 
of the digits. In treating such a condition, open up the sinuses 
or diseased parts and scrape out all the diseased portions and a 
little of the healthy part as well. Treat antiseptically and the 
bone will granulate the same as other tissues. 

The acute forms terminate either in recovery without dam- 
age to the bone, when the abscesses are absorbed or rupture ex- 
ternally; or in caries or necrosis, with subsequent chronic dis- 
turbances induced by the process of bone-destruction, that may 
continue during the entire life of the animal or require surgical 
interference. 



230 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

Chronic periostitis is divided into fibrous and ossifying forms. 
In fibrous periostitis the characteristic feature is the transforma- 
tion of the periosteum into a dense fibrous tissue, which closely 
adheres to the bone and later ossifies. 

Osteitis and osteomyelitis are almost invariably associated. 
Ii is almost impossible to find the bone inflamed without the in- 
volvement of the marrow. This inflammation is infectious and 
seems to depend upon the bacteria which are disseminated by 
the blood and lodge in the vessels of the bone. The disease 
usually begins in the marrow cavities of the long bones, but may 
occur in the short bones, or even in the flat bones of the skull. 
The marrow is first found to be deeply congested and of dark- 
red color. When the bone is sawed through the congested mar- 
row bulges outward. In the majority of cases there is more or 
less suppuration and the pus collects in small cavities, forming 
abscesses in the bone. In severe cases extensive necrosis may 
result. 

The greater number of cases heal by resolution, some in 
erosion of the bone, external evacuation of the pus, necrosis and 
then a chronic inflammation set up by the sequestrum. Some 
cases are fatal in consequence of pyemia. The extent of the 
necrosis that may follow osteomyelitis and periostitis is variable 
according to the severity of the case. In severe cases the entire 
shaft may die. The dead bone is known as a sequestrum. 
Chronic osteomyelitis results from the acute chiefly by the con- 
tinued irritation by the sequestrum. 

Necrosis of bone is death of the part, due to the nutrition 
being shut off. This is usually caused by injury to the peri- 
osteum. We see necrosis sometimes suddenly develop from ex- 
ternal injuries, such as occur in the bars of the mouth from the 
bit. The bone dies and large pieces slough off — the sequestra. 
When the shaft of the large bone dies this way, it usually softens 
and liquifies and flows out through a fistulous opening. The 
discharge is ichorous. In the meantime new bone is forming 
under the periosteum. It is lacking in the characteristics of 
normal bone but it does very well. 

The treatment for necrosis consists first in using slings un- 
less the horse shows inclination to lie down. Soon as the pus 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 231 

can be located, open up and let it escape. If practical, remove 
all the dead bone. In necrosis of the bars of the mouth (the 
lower jaw, it is not always necessary to operate except where the 
parts are very sore and swollen. Then with a scalpel cut down 
to the bone and this will allow the escape of the pus, if any, and 
quicken the separation of the part if necrosed, and if not, it may 
prevent it. Always cut down through the periosteum ; then let 
alone until the pieces come out. Do not force them out or use 
forceps. After they are removed, wash out with an antiseptic 
solution three or four times a day. The patients usually make a 
nice recovery. If the lesion is in the lower bars of the mouth, 
when the patient is getting well, use the common jointed bit or 
rubber covered chain. If the shafts of the long bones are af- 
fected, make a large independent opening by trephining; remove 
the sequestrum and wash out the cavity twice a day with anti- 
septics. 

ATROPHY OF BONE. 

Atrophy of bone is an interstitial absorption of the bony 
substance. This usually takes place in the cancellated portion 
of the bone, but it may occur in the compact bone, which then 
becomes softened and wastes away. It is not an inflammatory 
process although it may start as such because of some injury. 
In this condition the bone becomes diminished in size and weight 
and if it happens in the bicipital groove, it allows the patella to 
become dislocated very easily. 

This condition is incurable, though rational internal treat- 
ment is in order, — such as iron, arsenic, etc. The disease usually 
occurs in old animals. 

CONSTITUTIONAL OSTEOPOROSIS. 

Constitutional osteoporosis, or the big head, is a very pe- 
culiar disease because it is little understood. The pathological 
changes seem to be identical with those of localized osteo- 
porosis. Some think that it is rheumatic, others that it is due 
to a parasite and consequently infectious. It is often found in 



232 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

breeding farms and affects large numbers of horses. The 
horse seems to be the only animal that is affected. It is more 
common in driving horses than in the running. It is thought 
to be due to a fungus on the grass or fodder. 

In this condition we usually find the urine thick and mucil- 
aginous ; the horse tucked up in the flanks and inclined to lie 
down a good deal ; back is arched ; horse grows thin in flesh ; 
but the appetite keeps good. The affected bone is probably 
painful and often the first sign is a peculiar lameness, which is 
intermitting and frequently locates across the loins. It cannot 
always be located and is often mistaken for rheumatism. The 
disease is not confined to the head alone, all the bones are af- 
fected, in fact if the bones of the head become affected, the rest 
of the body is usually affected also and the horse may break 
down all at once. This disease is much more common in the 
south than in the north. 

Some claim to get good results by using iodide of potash and 
trephining into the enlargement and injecting antiseptics. This 
treatment does not seem to bring good results. Hyposulphite of 
soda and calcium phosphate in equal parts three times a day is 
good. Give a complete change of diet and a change of location. 
In acute cases death may take place in two or three months. 
In autopsy we find the face bones so soft that you can sometimes 
run a probe through them. They are red and vascular, like 
granulating tissue. 

OSTEOMALACIA. 

Osteomalacia is an acquired disease of the bones of unknown 
origin. It is rather common in the human and bovines, but not 
so in other animals. In the human it usually affects adult indi- 
viduals of the female sex, though it is often seen in males. It is 
thought to be caused by an innutritious diet, especially such as 
would occur among the poorer classes. Pregnancy, rheumatism, 
infection, intoxication, etc., have been blamed for its develop- 
ment. (See Merillat's, Vol. II.) 

The disease is characterized by a soft, plastic condition of 
the bones, which depends upon the replacement of the original 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 233) 

calcified osseous tissue with a new uncalcified osteoid tissue. The 
bones become, subject to frequent fracture and increasing de- 
formity, while the patient becomes more and more feeble and a 
profound cachexia comes on. Patient may die of exhaustion, 
but much more commonly succumbs to pneumonia or to some 
other intercurrent affection. 

The bones usually retain their lamellar arrangement and their 
external and internal construction are alike histologically un- 
changed, except that the great mass of bone is decalcified and 
the altered bone appears homogeneous, sometimes fibrous. The 
decalcification usually begins at the periphery and extends in 
toward the center. Some of the lacunar cells remain after de- 
calcification but many die. As the disease progresses, the os- 
teoid substance melts away and increases the spaces between the 
columns of bony tissue. 

The marrow is frequently congested and may be hemorrha- 
gic or pigmented, from previous hemorrhages. The bones are 
so soft that they can be easily broken in two. Frequent frac- 
tures occur and serve to deform the bone. The ordinary form 
of the disease attacks the spinal column and thorax and spreads 
to the limbs and head. The most interesting and important 
changes occur in the pelvis, which yields to the pressure of the 
spinal column and the thighs. It becomes wholly transformed, 
making the bearing of young almost impossible. 

Fragilitis ossium is a hardening of the bones to the extent 
of brittleness and usually occurs in old animals. It is due to the 
absorption of the animal matter and inflammation is usually the 
cause. In this condition fractures are very easy to occur. 

RACHITIS. 

Rachitis or rickets is a degenerate softening of the bones 
that occurs only in the young. It is due to some disturbance 
that prevents the ossification of the bone. It is really a con- 
stitutional disease and nutritional disorder. The. lesion is char-, 
acterized by deficient calcification and increased absorption of 
the bones, which in consequence are permanently altered in size 
and shape. All the parts of the skeleton are affected. The 



234 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

bones are usually shortened, thickened, rarified, curved, and 
twisted. The rarified condition is most frequently seen in the 
epiphyseal ends of the long bones, which become considerably 
enlarged. 

This disease is not infrequently congenital, and seems at 
times to be hereditary. Bad hygiene, malnutrition, and certain 
inflammatory diseases seem to be exciting causes. In the con- 
genital form the causes mentioned probably operate upon the 
young through the mother. The disease usually manifests itself 
in the first and second year of life. In cases that live beyond 
puberty the disease recovers but the deformities persist. Den- 
tition is irregular and delayed. The animal, however, may be 
well up to two to six years and then be affected. It is com- 
mon in puppies that are fed on starchy food. Foals, too, are 
apt to have it. 

The first intimation of the disease is a peculiar lassitude and 
the play is not so lively ; the long bones of the legs begin to bow, 
especially in the front legs, the convexity being outward. The 
femur is usually curved anteriorly as well as externally. 

At the articular ends of the bones, where the diaphysis joins 
the epiphysis, instead of a narrow distinct white- line, one finds 
an enlargement consisting of porous, irregularly formed bone 
in which there is a widely separated plexiform or fibrillar ar- 
rangement of osteoid substance deficient in lime-salts. These 
areas alternate with others of irregular ossification. The mar- 
row is much like that found in the fetus. Next to the growing 
cartilage of the epiphysis is a zone of osteoid tissue in which 
the bony partitions inclose patches of cartilage. 

The irregular growth and rarefaction of the bones give them 
a pronounced predisposition toward bending and fracture, es- 
pecially of the green-stick variety, while the continued pressure 
produced by the weight of the body results in permanent de- 
formities. 

Treatment. — There should be a complete change of food. 
In the foal, wean him and feed on cow's milk liberally, say a 
gallon three times a day, and more as he grows older. Skim 
milk even if it is sour is better than fresh milk, because it con- 
tains less fatty matter; in addition give bone dust, oatmeal, etc., 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 235 

but leave out corn and everything that tends to fat. In puppies 
change the food; give boiled meat with oatmeal, make a strong 
stew of it. If the legs in the foal do not get strong, apply 
splints and bandages. Lime water is good for rickets. Cod 
liver oil is good for puppies. 

HEALING OF BONE (REPAIR). 

When a bone breaks, either completely or incompletely, there 
results more or less hemorrhage; the surrounding tissues are 
torn and infiltrated with blood ; a moderate degree of inflam- 
matory exudation and cellular migration takes place, but in the 
absence of infection the inflammation subsides after a few days, 
soon to be followed by regeneration. As early as the second day 
the cells of the periosteum begin to grow and proliferate and 
show many karyokinetic figures. In two or three days a vascular 
formative tissue has developed which is rapidly developed and 
differentiated into osteoid and chondroid tissue. This formative 
tissue produced by the peristeum is known as the external callus ; 
that which extends in between the fragments is known as the 
intermediary callus. The tissue regenerating from the medulla 
is called the myelogenic callus. 

The periosteal callus extends around the fragments like a 
capsule for some little distance on each side of the break. At 
•the end of the 'first week the inner layers of the newly formed 
tissue have become differentiated into osteoid tissue and hyaline 
cartilage especially so in young and in animals like the dog, and 
then calcification sets in and porous bone develops — the bony 
callus. During the succeeding two or three weeks the amount 
of bony callus constantly increases. 

The myelogenic callus is formed by the proliferation of the 
osteoblasts ; it is not of so much importance as the periosteal 
callus. At about the end of the seventh week the periosteal 
callus is totally ossified, consisting of a porous, rather soft, os- 
seous tissue, which gradually becomes substituted by new bone 
of considerable density by means of lacunar resorption and the 
formation of medullary spaces on the one hand (osteoclasts 
break down bone) and the production of new lamellae or growth 



236 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

by apposition on the part of the osteoblasts on the other hand. 
In this way is produced a more solid dense bone — the definitive 
callus. 

When great dislocation of the fragments has occurred, it may 
take several months or even years before the reparative pro- 
cesses are fully complete. In case of great dislocation the me- 
dullary canal is usually not restored. 

Bones unite all right if given a chance. They are stronger 
at the point of fracture after healing than before. It is a pop- 
ular idea that horse's bones will not unite well. Dogs, sheep 
and young steers take care of themselves and assist us but the 
horse never does, that is why we have such poor success in the 
healing of a horse's fracture. When the bones fail to keep in 
position they become intensely inflamed and this is kept up until 
gangrene sets in and ends the life of the animal. 

DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 

Diseases of the brain and nervous system- are not as com- 
mon in the lower animals as in the human. The lower animals 
are less liable to fatal results from shocks, as from fright or 
operations. These diseases are divided into three classes — (1) 
cerebral, when applied to the brain; (2) spinal, to the cord; 
(3) peripheral, to the nerves. 

On account of the decussation of the nerves in the medulla, 
and in fact all along the spinal cord, injuries on one side of the 
brain produce paralysis on the other side of the body. The ef- 
fects of sudden injuries to the brain are very noticeable, but 
slowly encroaching injuries are very puzzling in the effects which 
they produce. Any derangement of the nervous system has a 
tendency to produce either an increased functional activity or a 
depression, that is, hypersesthesia or paralysis. 

Cerebral Congestion, — This disease is called vertigo, 
megrims, and sometimes blind staggers. It is due to a disturb- 
ance of- the -circulation resulting in a hypersemic condition of the 
brain. It is more or less sudden in its attacks and it is usually 
due to pressure on the large veins of the neck by ill-fitting har- 
ness. It may be due to a plethoric condition of the animal and is 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 237 

associated with torpidity of the liver and indigestion, which re- 
sults in paralysis of the pneumogastric nerve. 

The horse will often stop, shake his head and let his ears 
droop; the muscles of the head and neck twitch, the eyes pro- 
trude, and he may become blind ; his nostrils will be dilated and 
his breathing stertorous. He rears and plunges, loses co-ordina- 
tion and goes down in a heap. The shock to the nervous sys- 
tem causes him to sweat, and while down he will often froth at 
the mouth. 

While the animal is down dash cold water on his head and 
face. Take off his harness and give him plenty of air. As soon 
as the fit is over learn the causes of it and remove them if pos- 
sible. If plethora is at the bottom of it, lessen his feed and give 
purgatives. These attacks often come from stomach and liver 
troubles. Bleeding is useless. 

Cerebral Anaemia. — This is a bloodless condition of the 
brain. There results a loss of motor and sensory power and 
the mucous membranes are pale. It may be due to rapid 
haemorrhage. There will be great nervous prostration from 
weakness and debility. The treatment should be rational ; treat 
the general symptoms to supply the body with nutrition. 

Cerebral Embolus. — In this condition some of the blood 
vessels of the brain become plugged by a clot and embolism 
results. Paralysis of all parts of the brain supplied by these 
occurs. The clot is usually formed by reason of weak cardiac 
power or valvular insufficiency. The embolism causes soften- 
ing of the brain. The symptoms are stupor, weak mindedness 
and pale mucous membranes. 

Apoplexy. — As applied to the brain this disease means cere- 
bral hemorrhage. It is characterized by a sudden loss of both 
motor and sensory power. The hemorrhage may occur in one 
of three ways : first, in rupture of the blood vessels of the brain ; 
second, from the filling of the ventricles with blood ; and third, 
from a hemorrhage into the arachnoid space. The first and 
third ways usually prevail in the horse. 

The disease comes on suddenly always : the horse falls to the 
ground, froths at the mouth and the special senses are sus- 
pended, — he cannot hear, taste, smell or see. The mucous mem- 



238 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

branes are livid and the breathing more or less stertorous. If 
the case is severe death will result in from a few hours to 
eight or ten days. If not severe, the clot may become absorbed. 
The horse seldom fully recovers. 

It is not considered safe to bleed an animal in this condition. 
Elevate the head, pack it in ice and keep the rest of the body 
warm by clothing and friction. Give an enema and inhalations 
of ammonia, hypodermic injections of alcohol, atropine, etc. 
Never give medicine by the mouth in such a case, because the 
function of deglutition is suspended. 

Cerebral Meningitis. — This disease is inflammation of the 
coverings of the brain. Cerebritis is inflammation of the brain 
substance. It is not possible to draw the line between the two 
as in the human. The condition exists in two forms, acute and 
chronic. The meningitis is usually due to idiopathic or traumatic 
influences. The idiopathic influences are exposure, exhaustion, 
sunstroke, etc. The traumatic include wounds, concussions, etc., 
from violence. 

Semeiology. — There is marked congestion of the visible mu- 
cous membranes, especially those of the eye. There is muscular 
twitching and excitement of the animal ; the twitching sometimes 
amounts to spasm of the limb or of two limbs. These spasms 
sometimes involve the whole body, producing cerebral convul- 
sions. The period of excitement is usually followed by one of 
depression, and then an abnormal activity. In some cases it 
amounts to stupor or coma; but in meningitis this stupor period 
is comparatively short and the excitement severe. There is 
a well-marked constitutional disturbance until the animal be- 
comes delirious and he tries to climb over the manger. This 
desire to climb comes on during the first twenty-four hours. 
Convulsions may come on at the same time and throw him down, 
but he gets up and goes on climbing again. During the stupor 
he will hang his head and seems almost inclined to fall. 

The symptoms of meningitis are more violent than those of 
cerebritis. In cerebritis there is less fever and less excitement 
and the periods of stupor are more complete and longer con- 
tinued. In cerebritis the animal will stand a great part of his 
time with his head against the wall or manger; his appetite is 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 239 

usually lost, partly due to fever and partly due to the loss of 
sense. After a time, both in cerebritis and meningitis, the ani- 
mal will lose his power of co-ordination, does down and is un- 
able to get up again ; he will lie prone and keep his legs going. 
Put your finger in the eye or ear and no resistance is offered. 
Death usually takes place in two or three days. 

Cerebral meningitis runs a very rapid course compared with 
the human, terminating in the lower animals sometimes as 
quickly as the end of the first day. The differential diagnosis 
between it and blind staggers is quite simple : in blind staggers 
there is no fever, no congestion of the mucous membranes and 
the eyes are not bloodshot, while the very opposite occurs in 
mad staggers or cerebral meningitis, the bloodshot eyes being 
a special characteristic. Blind staggers usually yields to treat- 
ment while mad staggers does not. 

Treatment. — Purge the animal with aloes and give diuretics 
— potassium salts: Allay the nervous irritability with gelsemium, 
aconite, belladonna or acetanilid. Belladonna is particularly in- 
dicated on account of its contracting the arterioles. An ice 
poultice to the head is good, but the horse is dangerous to 
handle so do not get caught in the stall in trying to apply the ice. 
It is very difficult to do much for the horse in this disease and 
recoveries are rare. In case of recovery give the animal three or 
four months' rest at pasture. 

It is difficult to diagnose this disease with any degree of cer- 
tainty. At autopsy the meninges are thickened, with adhesions 
here and there. You will find coagulated lymph in the ventricles, 
also in the sulci and other parts of the brain. 

Cerebral softening. — In this disease there is a softening of 
the brain substance, which is altered in color. It is sometimes 
quite liquid and is softened always, especially in spots. It looks 
like abscesses and the color varies from dirty pink to white. 
Many cases have been seen where the cerebrum looked like pus. 
Cerebral softening is known among horsemen as a "dummy.'' 
Such cases are quite common. It is hard to say what is the 
cause, but we think that the condition comes from acute or sub- 
acute attacks of cerebritis or from interrupted circulation in the 
brain. In the human it is caused by long-continued use of alco- 



240 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

holic drinks. The disease is in reality nothing more than cere- 
bral degeneration. 

The symptoms are very marked but require close observation 
to detect them. The horse is more or less stupid and seems to 
lack ambition and often staggers. Mild excitement will arouse 
him for~a time and you must look out for this in examining a 
horse for soundness. The animal looks stupid, will stub his toes 
after being backed out of the stall. His ears may be moving back 
and forth and his face lacks expression. To tell a dummy just 
observe him as he backs out of a stall or turns around in it. 
He lacks complete power of co-ordination. Staggers and wab- 
bles a little. Cross his feet and they will stay there. Put your 
finger in his ear and he will not resist. The treatment is useless. 
The real ''dummy," is due to cerebral softening or chronic dropsy 
of the lateral ventricles. 

Myelitis. — This disease is inflammation of the spinal cord. 
The meninges are usually involved. The causes are violence in 
the form of external injuries, disease of the bones of the verte- 
brae, and exposure to dampness and extremes of temperature. 
It- often comes on without any appreciable cause. 

Semeiology. — When the meninges of the cord are first af- 
fected, the first symptoms will be tonic spasms of the limbs, 
usually the hind ones. This is probably because it affects the 
loins first and then extends forward. The spasms are often so 
severe as to jerk the horse off" his feet and throw him down. 
He-' stamps spasmodically and involuntarily. If the cord itself 
is first affected there is an absence of these spasms and instead 
there is a loss of motor power. You will notice that the hocks 
dip into each other, the toes will turn out, the gait will be wab- 
bly, — no spasm and no delirium. The motor paralysis increases 
so that finally the animal cannot move without falling; if he 
does not move, he will stand braced from twenty-four to forty- 
eight hours. While lying his expression is haggard and he looks 
in great distress. 

In chronic spinal meningitis the animal is very excitable, the 
least bit of excitement affecting him. He will also manifest 
nervous twitching. 

Paresis. — This disease is ordinarily spoken of as paralysis 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 241 

or it may be called palsy. It is a loss of the motor power as 
concerning the voluntary movements of the body. It is a symp- 
tom of other diseases. Paraplegia is the most common form of 
the paralysis, — meaning paralysis of the body transversely. 

The causes are centric or reflex. Centric is clue to external 
violence, perhaps severing of the cord, or anything that will pro- 
duce pressure on the cord, as fracture of the vertebne. Reflex 
causes must be referred to the periphery of the body, from 
whence a disturbance is carried to the nerve centers. We see this 
in canine distemper and in metritis in all females. The reflex 
form of paraplegia resists treatment very much. It is likely to 
occur from indigestion; impaction of the rumen in cattle may 
cause it. 

The symptoms show a partial or complete loss of power, 
first the motor. If the cause is reflex, there is a loss also of 
the sensory. Constipation is usually present ; the muscles around 
the neck of the bladder are relaxed and the urine dribbles away. 
Prick the hind parts of the horse and he will not show any pain. 
If this is done in the dog he will cry out. This shows that the 
motor nerves are affected before the sensory. 

Hemiplegia is paralysis of one whole side of the body. The 
cerebrum is usually affected. A ruptured blood vessel may be 
the cause. Recovery is rare and also the disease itself in the 
lower animals. 

Treatment. — Remove the cause. If impaction is at the bot- 
tom, then give such drugs that will loosen the bowels. Dogs 
usually recover from paraplegia. Bitches usually die. Give 
the animal rectal injections. Give diuretics and stimulants such 
as potassium, iodide and nux vomica. 

Hydrocephalus. — This is rare, especially in the adult. It is 
seen in the fetus and renders parturition difficult. The symp- 
toms are very similar to those of cerebritis, but more mild in 
character. The animal is stupid, keeps getting more so until 
coma sets in and he dies. The effusion is usually in the sub- 
arachnoid space or in the lateral ventricles. 

In the early stages of hydrocephalus there is fever and a lit- 
tle irritability. The stupor and insensibility keep on increasing 



242 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

with occasional epileptic fits until the disease terminates in coma, 
then convulsions and death. 

Pathology. — In autopsy, on opening the cranial cavity we no- 
tice that the brain is altered in form; the fissure between the 
hemispheres is almost obliterated. In cutting down through the 
corpus callosum you find water in the ventricles, varying in 
quantity from 1 to 8 ounces. Upon emptying the water out we 
find the septum lucidum broken down, making one cavity. The 
arachnoid is thickened and opaque, particularly over the cere- 
bellum and it is often studded with spots of inflammation. The 
fluid in the ventricles is usually pale, thin and watery, but some- 
times quite turbid. Effusion may take place into the lateral ven- 
tricles, or into the subarachnoid space. A horse so affected in 
the chronic form is a dummy. 

The treatment is not very satisfactory. In mild cases the 
disease may give way to iodide of potash, iron, vegetable bitters, 
and mild counter-irritants externally. Keep the animal quiet ; 
give soft diet and rest. 

TABES DORSALIS. 

Tabes dorsalis or locomotor ataxia, is the same as sclerosis 
of the cord. It is sometimes called "crick back." In the do- 
mestic animals the disease affects the white matter of the cord. 
In the human the gray matter may also become involved. This 
condition is a contraction and hardening of the columns of the 
cord. In the horse it is usually the supralateral columns. The 
inferolateral may also become affected. The loins are about the 
first to become affected, but the disease may start in the cere- 
bellum and travel down the cord. The motor columns are 
affected more than the sensory. 

Etiology. — The disease usually develops as the result of ex- 
posure to cold and storms, especially if the horse is not in 
good condition. It may occur in old horses and debilitated 
ones. The minute vessels of the cord are diminished in size and 
the gray matter can be easily ruptured. In cases of syphilis in 
horses this condition is always present. 

Semeiology. — Tabes dorsalis comes on slowly. We notice 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 243 

first an unsteady gait behind, especially if the animal turns 
quickly. If the disease originates in the cord, then the lesion 
seems to be confined to the hind limbs; if in the cerebellum, then 
the animal is wabbly both before and behind. The eyes squint, 
which is particular evidence of sclerosis of the cerebellum. If 
the lesion is in the cerebellum the animal will walk in a circle 
and the more severe the lesion, the smaller the circle he will 
walk in. The paralysis increases continually and usually the 
symptoms are increased also. In an acute case the muscles of 
the hind parts waste. The inclination to throw the weight upon 
the fore limbs on account of the increasing paralysis causes the 
muscles of the hind limbs to be inactive and therefore to waste 
away. 

In the horse we have no evidence of acute pain ; in the hu- 
man it is said that there are pains in the legs at times. 

Treatment. — There is no treatment that will cure the dis- 
ease and the prognosis must therefore be unfavorable. If you 
give strychnine, electricity, bromine, iodine, iron or arsenic and 
liberal diet with gentle exercise, this course of treatment will 
prolong life. 

TETANUS. 

Tetanus is a continuous tonic spasm of the muscles of the 
body. Usually the voluntary muscles are the ones involved, but 
the involuntary muscles may be involved also. 

Etiology. — The bacillus Nicolaier is the specific cause. This 
germ was discovered in 1884. Nicolaier found the germ in the 
earth and introduced it into animals and produced tetanus. The 
germ is drumstick-shaped carrying its spore in the big end. It 
lives in the dirt everywhere and it is anaerobic. For this reason 
the disease will result from small wounds which easily close up 
more readily than large wounds that are open and exposed to 
the air. The germ will not grow where there is free access of 
oxygen. More than one-half of the tetanus cases come from 
small nail pricks that hardly lame the animal. All animals are 
subject to it but the horse, perhaps more than others. Different 
parts of the body are affected. When the whole body is affected 



244 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

it is called Orthotonos. When the masseter muscles are af- 
fected it is called Trismus. Both forms are common. The 
tetanus germ must be associated with other germs in order to 
set up its infection ; it cannot work alone. 

Semeiology. — The symptoms are clearly diagnostic usually. 
The 'first thing you will notice is a contraction of the masseter 
muscles. The muscles will be drawn around the mouth. The 
animal seems to have difficulty in eating and he secretes an enor- 
mous amount of saliva. After a few hours he becomes excitable, 
the nose is extended, the facial muscles twitch and any little dis- 
turbance excites the animal. The eyeballs are retracted in the 
orbit and look small. The membrana nictitans is liable to be 
raised constantly over more or less of the eyeball, and when the 
head is raised will cover it. An intelligent horseman will no- 
tice the beginning stiffness of gait. Trismus is usually well 
marked; after twenty-four or forty-eight hours the development 
seems to be quite gradual, other times violent, in which case the 
animal will soon die. The spasms which were at first in the 
masseters finally affect the whole body. The dorsal, cervical and 
gluteal muscles are the most affected. The tail is elevated and 
it maintains that position and trembles. The respiration is ac- 
celerated and the nostrils are dilated ; the ears stand like sticks, 
the limbs are stiff and are straddled ; locomotion is very difficult ; 
flanks are tucked up ; ribs are tightly drawn, due to contraction 
of the intercostals. As the pain becomes intense, the animal 
sweats profusely and is very excitable. The spasms come on 
from time to time and between times the muscles relax a little, 
but. not enough to cause much hope. The action is spasmodic. 
During a spasm the gluteal muscles often shoot out behind like 
a goose in flight, and the action throws the animal to the floor 
and he cannot rise until the muscles relax. An animal usually 
does not rise after going down on account of the stiffness of the 
legs ; he is unable to get them under him enough to get up. The 
recumbent position and being unable to rise increase, the fre- 
quency and severity of the spasms. The spasms are easily 
brought on, — a rat or loud talking or the presence of a stranger 
may be the cause. The saliva is ropy, the pulse grows hard ; the 



OF VETERINARY .MEDICINE. 245 

appetite remains good but the bowels are inactive. The peristal- 
tic action is interfered with. 

As a rule the horse persistently stands and if he can get up 
after being down, it is a favorable sign. Death comes from two 
causes, — syncope and asphyxia. The muscles of the throat con- 
tract and cause the asphyxia. Death occurs in from two to 
ten days. 

Prognosis. — When a spasm throws a horse down, there is 
little hope. If the animal can eat and the trismus is slight and 
the respiration is not affected then the results may not be so 
bad. We find by experience that the mortality runs from 75% 
to 80%. If the animal lives thirteen days he has 50% of the 
chances to recover. If he lives eighteen days he has 75% in his 
favor. If he lives twenty-one days he has 95% in his favor. 
Dr. Baker says one of his cases died on the twenty-eighth day. 

Treatment. — There is no specific treatment. Give a rational 
course toward allaying the symptoms, bearing in mind that if 
the animal lives two weeks he will probably recover. Pay at- 
tention to the hygiene. If it is cold, clothe him warmly; if it is 
hot, keep the animal cool. Keep away exciting conditions. Give 
linseed gruel — about two gallons, and keep this before him all 
the time. Give him nothing else to drink. Let the horse have 
as much of the gruel as he will drink. The gruel tends to loosen 
the bowels. Purgatives are useless. It is a good plan to put the 
horse in a sling. Bear in mind that he cannot recover on his 
side. 

Give drugs that will quiet the nervous system, such as bel- 
ladonna, prussic acid, morphine, ether, chloral hydrate, lobelia 
and gelsemium. If the tetanus antitoxin can be given in time it 
will cure the disease, but it must be given early. Some claim 
that this is useless, but it has not proven so in my experience. 
Give about 40 cc for the first day than 20 cc the second ; the 
third day the same. If on the fourth day the animal is hold- 
ing his own, then give another dose of 20 cc. Keep this up for 
ten days. If however the animal begins to grow worse, then 
drop the serum treatment, 



246 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

The following is a good prescription: 

Gelsemium Fl. Ex 1 ounce 

Lobelia, Fl. Ex ,. 1 ounce 

Belladonna Fl. Ex 1 ounce 

Aqua ad qs 8 ounces 

Give one ounce every 3-4 hours. 

If possible give per mouth; but if there is much trismus, 
dilute it and give per rectum. If administered this way let it 
be about blood heat. A hypodermic of 4 grains of morphine 
three or four times a day is good with this prescription. 

The post mortem shows very few lesions. 

CHOREA. 

Chorea is convulsions of the voluntary muscles and it is most 
common in dogs. In the dog it occurs oftener in the legs while 
in the horse it is seen most often in the neck and hind quarters. 
In the horse it seems to arise as an original lesion while in the 
dog and in the human it usually follows some other disease. In 
the horse it may come on suddenly from indigestion, particularly 
that which arises from over-feeding. In dogs and children it 
may occur from worms in the intestines. In all these cases there 
is an increased irritability of the nerves. In the dog it is often 
seen in a fatal form as a complication in distemper. 

Semeioloyy— The disease comes on suddenly, especially in a 
case of distemper in the dog. The disease often attacks a fore- 
leg which will be lame for a day or two before any jerking be- 
gins. If you make the animal step on the affected leg by taking 
the other up, he will go down and when there is jerking in it he 
cannot bear any weight upon it at all. The condition rapidly 
spreads to the whole body and the animal finally dies from ex- 
haustion. During these attacks the dog will whine, particularly 
if alone. There probably is not much acute pain, only general 
distress. The jerking may be continuous night and day. Event- 
ually the animal becomes emaciated, especially the dog. 

Some think that the disease is transmissible, so much so that 
animals thus affected are condemned for breeding purposes. At 
any rate the offspring of choreic stallions are liable to have the 
disease. Horsemen call it sjiivers. In the stall the horse will 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 247 

show his trouble by putting his leg out to one side in a peculiar 
manner when stepping over. In backing out of the stall, he may 
take a few steps all right and then be unable to go further. The 
tail may shiver as well as other parts. In severe cases in horses 
spasms severe enough to throw them to the floor come on occa- 
sionally. Some horses with this disease are unable to back at 
all, but can go ahead. Chorea is liable to become chronic and 
all chronic cases of this disease are without exception incurable. 

There is no special lesion revealed by the post mortem, ex- 
cept that in long-standing cases we find thickening of the arach- 
noid, effusion into the arachnoid space and hardening of the 
outer layer of the cord. In acute cases in the dog the medulla 
show softening. 

Treatment. — Chorea is very unsatisfactory to treat. In severe 
cases it is incurable. Constitutional tonic treatment is about all 
that can be done for the animal. Give a liberal diet, correct the 
hygiene and avoid fatigue. For drugs give iron, zinc, copper and 
in some cases small doses of strychnine. You can combine with 
these cinchona and gentian. In case of whining dogs you can 
relieve the distress by giving valerian fluid extract with a min- 
eral tonic. 

Give Fowler's solution in gradually increasing doses till the 
maximum dose is reached, then reduce the dose gradually to the 
minimum, then up again, and so on for two to four weeks. 
Nitrate of silver in bread pills is very good ; give for a week 
and alternate with sulphate of copper. Recoveries are rare. 

DISEASES OF THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM. 

The diseases of the reproductive system are not so common 
in the lower animals as in the human. There are only two speci- 
fic diseases, the malignant and simple pox. 

SIMPLE POX. 

In its nature simply pox is a phlyctenoid eruption. The 
eruptions occur on the vulva and extend into the vagina. It is 
never seen in the sheep, pig or dog. It is common in the human 



248 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

and in the mare. The- eruption is a simple blister called a 
phlyctena. This occurs in the male sometimes on the body of 
the penis. The period of inoculation is from 24 hours to 3 days. 
The lips of the vulva swell as large as the wrist. In the stallion 
the sheath swells. The disease is transmissible from one animal 
to another by coition. No special constitutional disturbance is 
produced. The disease is self-limiting and if copulation ceases 
recovery will take place in 5 to 10 days. 

Treatment. — Give cool laxatives and mild stimulants. For a 
local application use sulphate of zinc (5 grains) to the ounce of 
water. Bathe the parts three times a day. This disease is also 
known as coital exanthema. 

MALIGNANT POX. 

Malignant pox is known as dourine or equine syphilis. The 
disease was brought to this country from France. . In 1817 it was 
known in Prussia; in 1821 in Hungary; in 1836 in Italy. It has 
never been known in Belgium or England. The special pathology 
of this disease was gotten from Tanhoffer. 

Etiology. — The trypanosoma equiperdum is the specific para- 
site causing' the disease. It is a single-celled animal parasite. 
This parasite was discovered in South Africa in connection with 
the tsetse fly disease and sleeping sickness. The lesions resemble 
syphilis in the human, but the two are different. Syphilis is 
transmissible from parent to off-spring in the human but dourine 
is not in the horse. A syphilitic stallion cannot impregnate a 
mare. If a syphilitic mare should conceive she will abort or 
else the foal will be born dead. 

Semeiology. — The elevated plaques on the body and pustules 
on the penis and vulva are the first noticeable indications of the 
disease. These ulcerate. They may occur on the glans penis 
and are accompanied by the. swelling of the sheath. In the mare 
the vulva swells, and turns out, exposing the clitoris to view. 
The appetite is poor and the animal becomes lazy. If the disease 
occurs in an acute form, it will kill ; if it is chronic, in the course 
of a month or so the animal begins to be wabbly in his hind parts. 
Sometimes the ulcers heal and are replaced by others. After a 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 249 

month or so depigmentation takes place in the skin, — on the in- 
side of the thighs, scrotum, vulva, and elbow. The depigmented 
patches are about the size of a quarter to the size of a man's hand 
and turn white. The depigmentation is a progressive process. 
The hair gets shabby and the animal wabbles more and more. 
As weakness develops the legs swell and in 12 to 16 weeks a 
profuse muco-purulent discharge takes place from the nose. The 
scrotum and testicles may be very large. 

In the mare the mammary glands swell and the clitoris and 
mucous tissue are protruded. The mucous membrane of the 
clitoris is of yellowish color. The subacute runs into the chronic. 

Although some animals appear to recover they should be re- 
tired from breeding, because it always revives the disease. 

The only peculiar morbid anatomy is in the spinal cord, the 
locomotor ataxia is the same as that of other diseases. 

Treatment. — Dourine is a contagious disease ; therefore de- 
stroy all the animals that are affected. If necessary quarantine 
them. The old quarantine laws allowed the animals to go back 
into the stud after three years, but it was found that they gained 
no results, for stud work revived the disease. 

URETHRITIS. 

In stallions this condition comes always from serving mares 
that are affected with leucorrhoea. It is characterized by pus, 
but no germ has been isolated as has been done in the human. 

Micturition is painful. 

Retire the animal for a few days. Give a purgative and saw 
palmetto. Use the zinc sulphate solution two grains to an ounce 
of water as an injection twice a day. 

Bull Burnt is similar to urethritis but it affects the covering 
of the penis rather than the uretha. It is usually the result of 
too frequent copulation. Inject into the sheath a solution of ace- 
tate of lead — half an ounce to the pint of water. Manipulate 
the part and repeat night and morning. 

Burnt Dog is a foulness of the sheath from the accumula- 
tion of natural secretion in the sheath, which produces a catarrhal 
discharge. Use the same treatment as for the preceding. 



250 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

PHIMOSIS. 

Phimosis is the inability of the animal to extend the penis. 
This may be due to congenital malformation. It may be due to 
ulcer or to some other interference, as edema of the sheath. 

This condition can be recognized by the foulness of the 
sheath in which the animal urinates. 

Treatment. — In congenital cases cast the animal if necessary 
and insert a probe-pointed bistoury and cut down the prepuse 
about half an inch to one inch. Bring the organ down and wash 
off the parts. The sheath should be cleaned out night and 
morning until the wound has begun to granulate. Then use the 
white solution. 

Horses may get the notion that they cannot let the penis 
down and consequently urinate in the sheath. Put a twitch on 
the animal and bring the penis down once a day for three or 
four days. 

PARAPHIMOSIS. 

Paraphimosis is the inability on the part of an animal to re- 
tract the penis. There may be a swelling of the sheath and the 
penis itself may be swollen. Following castration we find a typi- 
cal example of this disease, probably on account of the swelling 
of the penis and sheath. The penis swells mostly on the dorsal 
side and the covering becomes tense and glistening. Such a 
severe case is usually due to local irritation. Paralysis of the 
penis may be the cause. In the dog sometimes following copula- 
tion the erection cannot subside and the organ becomes gangren- 
ous in the course of three or four days. 

Treatment. — If the condition comes from castration, you will 
have to reduce the swelling. . Give diuretics internally and plenty 
of exercise and fresh water. If it comes from injury and in- 
flammation has set in, put on ice pack tight upon the horse's 
body near the penis. Keep this up until the swelling goes down. 
Give diuretics and laxatives. Sometimes we find that the penis 
is cold and cyanotic; scarify it from six to a dozen cuts and 
foment it with tepid water. This will produce a dilation of the 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 251 

vessels and consequent hemorrhage. In case of paralysis try the 
cold water treatment by throwing very cold water upon the re- 
tractor muscles. Do this twice a day. The electric battery can 
be applied here and strychnine internally. After putting the 
penis in place, then put a bandage around the body to hold the 
wet packs in place. Keep the penis suspended tightly up against 
the belly with a broad bandage passed around the horse's body. 
In the dog you will find that the penis is purple and con- 
gested. Scarify it and bathe the parts with water. If it cannot 
be replaced in the sheath cut down the prepuce a little. If 
you cannot do better, amputate. 

DROPSY OF THE OVARIES. 

Dropsy of the ovaries follows congestion and large cysts 
sometimes result. The condition is common in old cows and in 
the human, but not in the other animals. When a chronic con- 
gestion occurs as in this condition, the animal is always in heat. 
But it is an unnatural condition, and the animal will not breed. 
Such animals seem to change their form in time and become 
more masculine in looks. They do not make good breeders or 
good feeders and the best thing is to spay them. The cystic 
ovary can be crushed and the fluid allowed to escape into the 
abdominal cavity. 

HYDROMETRA. 

Hydrometra is dropsy of the womb. The mixture that fills 
the womb is a mixture of serum and pus. It is the result of 
long-continued inflammation. It may follow parturition and it 
may occur without any assignable cause. 

If you are sure of your diagnosis open the os uteri with 
the hand and empty the womb. Wash out with boracic acid, or 
dilute coal tar emulsion. After a week or two, change to sul- 
phate of zinc. Give a tonic of iron and alcohol. 



252 theory And practice 

NYMPHOMANIA. 

This is a condition where the mare is always in heat. The 
clitoris is in a state of chronic congestion. Excess of passion in 
the male is called satyriasis, but the disease is more common in 
the human than among the lower animals. Females in this con- 
dition are in heat all the time, but as a rule they do not breed. 
The disease is more common in the cow than in other females 
and it is due to luxurious living. Sometimes it may be caused 
by cancer of the clitoris and in such cases it should be ampu- 
tated. Males should be put to harder work and the hygiene at- 
tended to. Females should be spayed. 

HYSTERIA. 

Hysteria is an excessive nervous condition seen in females 
only. The whole body is in a hypersesthetic condition. It usu- 
ally comes on with the period of oestrum. The genital organs 
are congested and in the attacks that follow the symptoms are- 
similar to those of tetanus. The spasms may throw the animal 
off her feet and are manifested by kicking, biting, etc. The tem- 
perature runs high, sometimes to 112° F. Try bleeding the ani- 
mal. If this does not work give gelsemium and bromide of 
potash. Give a purgative and keep the animal quiet. 

LEUCORRHOEA. 

Leucorrhoea, is a muco-purulent discharge from the vagina 
and uterus. The discharge is whitish in color and in most cases 
it is caused by a retained placenta. The mare is usually un- 
thrifty, becomes thin in flesh, has a staring coat and a more or 
less purulent discharge. The trouble may run on for years if 
not arrested. 

Wash out the uterus with half of one per cent of liquor 
cresolis compositus U. S. P. once a day for a week, then twice 
a week for a week or two. If ulceration is present treat the 
sore places with pure boracic acid in the powdered state, and 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 253 

keep this up for about two weeks. Give iron, arsenic and vege- 
table bitters. 

ONANISM. 

The word "onanism" mean alone. It is masturbation on the 
part of the animal. The act becomes a habit and leads to gen- 
eral debility. It produces softening of the brain and will eventu- 
ally cause death. Horses are very subject to it and the habit 
ruins young studs. The offspring of such an animal will be 
weak and inferior. The horse should be watched and exercised. 
Attend to the hygiene. Various mechanical appliances are used 
to. prevent the acts of self abuse, and when these fail castration 
is the only remedy. 

DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF SPECIAL SENSE. 
SIMPLE OPHTHALMIA. 

Simple ophthalmia is inflammation of the conjunctiva. It is 
usually the result of some foreign body being introduced into the 
eye or the extension of some inflammation through the lach- 
rymal ducts in catarrh or glanders. It is often caused by facing 
a cold wind in long drives or from caustic substances getting into 
the eye. 

The eyelids are more or less swollen and the extreme sensi- 
tiveness of the eye causes the animal to keep the eyelids shut. 
There is more or less pain and a copious discharge of tears. 
The cornea becomes inflamed if the condition lasts long and it 
becomes opaque. 

Examine the eye for a foreign body and if found remove it. 
This is best done with a pair of curved forceps holding the 
curved side toward the eye so as not to injure it. Foreign bodies 
become embedded in the mucous membrane, which closes around 
them, so look carefully. You will recognize the presence of one 
by the local swelling where the body is and you can often as it 
were break down the mucous membrane and get at it by curret- 
ting the most prominent point. 



254 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

After removing the object, treat with anodyne and mucilag- 
inous substances. Common salt and distilled water are good 
to allay the inflammation. Use one-half dram to the pint of 
water. The white of an egg introduced into the eye is also 
good — it lubricates the surface and relieves the irritation. Lin- 
seed tea or a grain of linseed introduced into' the eye is good. 
In a very bad case keep the animal in the dark and apply cocaine 
occasionally. 

FUNGUS HAEMATOIDES. 

This is a bleeding fungus. It is a medullary soft cancer often 
seen in cattle. It usually starts in small purplish spots on the 
conjunctiva. It is malignant and spreads through the eye, often 
working back to and through the bone. The putrefactive matter 
of the ulceration causes cachexia and the animal may die from 
the absorption of the products of cytolysis. 

The only hope is to remove the growth in the early stage. 
I f the eye is involved remove it and cauterize. When the granu- 
lations fill up the eye about one-half, use the white lotion to pre- 
vent further growth. The animal should be sent to the abbatoir 
on account of the liability of recurrence. 

ENTROPIUM. 

Entropium is the turning in of one eyelid or both. They 
bring the eyelashes in contact with the eye and irritate it. The 
cornea is more or less cloudy and there is a discbarge of muco- 
purulent matter from the eye, giving the animal a disagreeable 
appearance. 

The treatment is surgical and involves the removal of an 
eliptical section from the eyelids, thus shortening them up. The 
result of the operation as a rule is pleasing. The condition is 
very common in dogs. 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 255 

ECTROPIUM. 

In this condition the eyelids are too short; they turn the 
lashes out and expose the conjunctiva. This is not so painful as 
in entropium, but it is unsightly. 

In mild cases we may use astringents such as sulphate of zinc 
(2 grains to the ounce), or a saturate solution of borax, or cold 
tea. Apply the solution two or three times a day. If this fails 
we sometimes sew the lids together the same as in dislocation of 
the eye. We may be required to cut out an eliptical portion, 
but this is rare. If the zinc lotion proves too weak, then in- 
crease its strength to 5 grains to the ounce. 

LEUCOMA. 

Leucoma is an opaque cornea. The cornea is cloudy. This 
condition may be produced by blows, which however, are not se- 
vere enough to break the cornea, but which often produce a per- 
manent cloudiness. The more dense and organized the exudate, 
the more permanent will be the opacity ; and the whiter it is, the . 
more likely is it to be incurable. While it is blue (pale blue) 
there is hope of recovery ; but as it becomes white, the chance 
diminishes. Sometimes there is a white patch on the cornea at 
the point of injury. This will remain permanent, but if the 
contusion is mild, the exudate will become absorbed. For local 
treatment apply warm fomentations to the eye and give ano- 
dynes. Later use local applications of saline or borated water. 
Give stimulants. In three or four days change to distilled or 
fluid extract of witch hazel — the distilled can be used clear, while 
the extract should be diluted 75 per cent. Follow this with sul- 
phate of zinc or silver nitrate — 5 grains to the ounce. In old 
cases use stronger solutions — say 10 grains to the ounce. Always 
use distilled water when treating the eye. 

ULCERATION OF THE CORNEA. 

This is liable to occur in connection with any wound, but it 
is often found in distemper in dogs. The eyelids become glued 



256 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

together and pus accumulates inside them and irritates the cor- 
nea. The ulceration may occur in two or three places in the 
cornea, and then the sores become confluent. Unless the lids 
are softened and the pus let out, the cornea may be eaten 
through and the aqueous humor escape. 

Remove the cause; reduce the conjunctivitis and touch the 
ulcer lightly with lunar caustic once a day. In case the cornea 
is not ruptured, granulations may form in patches on its surface 
and these will be red as beefsteak. In such cases cauterize every 
three days with lunar caustic. 

INFECTIOUS KERATITIS OF CATTLE. 

Keratitis is inflammation of the cornea. It is a constitutional 
disease and one especially peculiar to cattle. It is very common 
and often runs through a whole herd. This would indicate that 
we have to. deal with a specific germ but as yet none has been 
found. The disease runs a regular course and it is usually be- 
nign. 

Semeiology. — Tears runs down the cheek. The eyelids are 
more or less swollen and the cornea is often ulcerated. Acute 
cellulitis is also* present. The cornea is opaque. Recovery may 
take place in 4-12 days, but in some cases the cornea may be- 
come ruptured, the aqueous humor escape and the eye becomes 
destroyed. 

Treatment-. — Keep the patient in the dark. Apply warm fo- 
mentations with salt water. Do not let the iris remain in one 
position too long a time. Inject a little atropine to dilate the 
pupil and if it does not contract in a few days then use calabar 
bean. After the inflammation has run its course use sulphate of 
zinc lotion. Give laxatives and soft food. 

FILARIA OCULI. 

The filaria is a little thread-like worm which is sometimes 
found in the anterior chamber of the eye. This is especially 
seen in Canada. It is not known how the parasite gets into the 
eye, but probably through smaller worms which develop in the 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 257 

blood. The worm is 1^-1 inch long and is as slender as 60 cotton 
thread. Sometimes it lies quietly and sometimes it flashes about 
in the humor. This movement stimulates the glands to secrete 
more humor and the eye bulges out, causing great distress. 

Treatment. — In case of the horse, lay the animal on his back, 
turn the head on the poll and fasten the upper eyelid back with 
a few stitches. Do not use a speculum to hold the lids in place. 
First apply a little cocaine ; some use chloroform, but I do not 
think that this is necessary. With an ordinary scalpel cut into 
the cornea on the upper side of the eye. Make an incision about 
an eighth of an inch long and then press out the humor. The 
parasite will usually come out with the humor, but if not, press 
it out. You may have to take it out with a pair of forceps. 
This operation is called the Sclero-corneal operation. The wound 
will heal by first intention, the humor will be renewed and the 
eye will be all right in a few days. Never make the incision on 
the lower side of the eye, else the humor will run out as fast as 
secreted and form a fistula. Before operating pass the blade of 
the scalpel through a flame to insure that it is sterile. 

AMAUROSIS. 

This condition is paralysis of the optic nerve. It is some- 
times called Gutta Serena or Glass Eye. The eye is insensible 
and there is total blindness. It is common in people and horses 
and rare in cattle and dogs. The causes of the affection con- 
sist of tumors and other diseases of the brain implicating the 
optic nerve. Injury to the nerve between the brain and the eye 
and inflammation of the roots and also the endings of the nerve 
or undue pressure upon the same from inflammatory effusion are 
etiological factors. Optic palsy may also occur from an over- 
loaded stomach, from a profuse hemorrhage, and even from pres- 
sure of the gravid womb in gestation. 

Semeiology. — Wide dilatation of the pupis is a marked symp- 
tom. The whole interior of the eyeball is exposed and the ex- 
pansion remains the same in light and darkness. The horse does 
not swerve when a feint to strike is made unless the hand causes 
a current of air to come against the face. The ears are held 



258 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

erect and turn quickly at any noise. The animal steps high to 
avoid stumbling. 

Treatment. — Treatment is only useful when the disease is 
symptomatic of some removable cause, such for instance as con- 
gested brain, an overloaded stomach or gravid womb. When re- 
covery does not follow the termination of these conditions, ap- 
ply a blister behind the ear and give dram doses of nux vomica 
three times daily. 

DETACHMENT OF THE RETINA. 

This occurs in case of hemorrhage between the chorid and 
the retina. It produces a loss of functional' activity of the retina 
and may run into amaurosis. The cause of this condition may 
be a severe blow on the head, a fit of coughing, or rapid, ex- 
cessive hemorrhage. It is common in people and horses and dogs 
but is never seen in cattle. It frequently occurs in horses in con- 
nection with castration, cuts from barbed wire fences, etc. This 
affection can sometimes be cured ; amaurosis seldom. 

In treating such cases give tincture of iron and nux vomica 
internally. Inject a few drops of witch hazel (distilled extract) 
into the eye three times a day. 

STAPHYLOMA. 

This consists of a bulging forward of the cornea at a given 
point by the sacular yielding and distention of its coats. The 
tumor may be transparent or opaque. The disease is common 
in the human and dogs but rare in horses and cattle. In the 
transparent form the tumor is bulging, distended and cyst-like; 
but in the opaque the tumor is thick and is formed like a grape. 
The bulging kind is more common and it grows larger than the 
solid tumor. 

If the bulging kind is detected soon enough, puncture it and 
liberate some of the aqueous humor. This may save the eye. 
If the condition becomes chronic and a thickened mass is found 
on the outside of the cornea, it must be removed. This operation 
destroys the sight and the cornea cannot be replaced. A glass 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 259 

or rubber eye can be inserted for the sake of appearance. The 
wound should heal with little difficulty. Be sure that the instru- 
ments are sterile before operating. 

PERIODIC OPHTHALMIA. 

Other names for this condition are Specific Ophthalmia, Re- 
current Ophthalmia or Moonblindness. It is an inflammatory af- 
fection of the interior of the eye, intimately related to certain 
soils, climates and systems, showing a strong tendency to recur 
again and again, and usually ending in blindness from cataract 
or other serious injury. It is peculiar to the horse. 

SemeioJogy. — The local symptoms are in the main those of 
external ophthalmia, with, in many cases an increased hardness 
of the eyeball from effusion into its cavity. The contracted pupil 
does not contract much in darkness nor even under the action of 
belladonna. The opacity advances from the margin of the cor- 
nea over its whole surface. So long as it is transparent 
there can be seen a turbid aqueous humor. This may or may 
not contain floculi. The dingy iris is robbed of its clear black 
aspect, the lens is cloudy and there is a greenish yellow reflec- 
tion from the interior of the eye. From the fifth to the seventh 
day there is a floculent precipitate which forms in the lower 
part of the anterior chamber, exposing more clearly the iris and 
the lens and absoption commences. The eye will clear up in 
10 or 15 days. 

The striking characteristic of the disease, however, is its re- 
currence again and again until blindness results. The attacks 
may follow each other at intervals of a month, more or less, but 
they show no relation to any particular phase of the moon as the 
name "moonblindness" would lead one to think. The attacks 
are rather determined by the weather, the health or the food, or 
some periodicity of the system. From five to seven attacks 
usually result in blindness in one eye and then the other runs 
through the same course. In the intervals between the attacks 
some symptoms remain which usually betray the condition. 
Even after the first attacks there can usually be seen a bluish 
ring around the margin of the cornea. The affected eye seems 



260 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

smaller than the other, at first from retraction in its socket and 
later from atrophy. The upper eyelid will have an abrupt bend 
toward its inner angle from the contraction of the levator muscle. 
The front of the eye has lost its lustre and the depths are green- 
ish yellow. The ears are alert to compensate for the waning 
vision. 

There is no doubt that some specific germ is responsible for 
periodic ophthalmia, but it has not been demonstrated. The 
periodicity of the disease is probably due to the manner of de- 
velopment of the micro-organism, whatever it is, whose genera- 
tions die out from lack of food in the anterior chamber of the 
eye and the symptoms subside until the spores develop into viru- 
lent organisms again. 

Etiology. — The causes may be fundamentally attributed to 
the soil. Damp clays, marshes and bottoms which have fre- 
quently been overflowed are potent causative factors. The damp 
air and wet climate react upon the animal to produce a lym- 
phatic constitution with an excess of connective tissue, bones and 
muscle of coarse, open texture, thick skins and gummy legs with 
profuse long hair. The rank fodders grown on such soils are 
other causes. Foods act by leading to constipation and under- 
mining the constitution of the animal, giving it a predisposition 
to any infection. The period of denition and training is a 
fertile exciting cause. The great majority of victims are from 
2-6 years old. If a horse escapes the infection until after he 
is six years old, he will probably never get it. The irritation 
about the head during the eruption of teeth, the unwonted bridle 
and collar, the stimulating grain diet and the close air of the 
stable all combine to arouse the latent tendency of the disease 
in the eye. No one of these conditions would cause the attack, 
but all together have great bearing as predisposing factors at 
least. It has been alleged that the specific factor is a germ 
which is harbored in the marshy district, but it has never been 
found. 

Heredity is accepted by horsemen as a most potent factor, — 
one so strong that intelligent horsemen everywhere refuse to 
breed from either horse or mare that has once suffered from re- 
current ophthalmia. The French Government even refuses ser- 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 261 

vice to any mare that has once suffered with her eyes. A consid- 
eration of the future of our horses would demand the disuse of 
all sires that are unlicensed and the refusal of a license to any 
sire that has suffered from periodic ophthalmia or any other com- 
municable disease. 

Treatment. — Treatment is not satisfactory, but the same 
measures as are useful in external ophthalmia help some in the 
periodic form. The affection should be treated with purgatives, 
followed by diuretics and cold applications to the eye. To cause 
dilatation of the pupil inject a solution of atropin (2^ grains to 
the ounce) three or four times a day. If the pupil does not con- 
tract after a few days, then use calabar bean. Give soft food, 
keep the animal in a cool place and let him rest. This will ward 
off the opacity for a time. During the convalescence iodide of 
potash will help to absorb the deposits, but the animal will go 
blind in time. Some doctors say that surgical treatment is the 
right thing and recommend tapping the eye with a fine-bladed 
knife and squeezing out twenty-five per cent of the aqueous hu- 
mor. This, at least, would relieve the intraorbital pressure, i 
Following the operation give a dram of iodide of potash three 
times a day for a month or six weeks. 

The prevention of the disease is the great object to be aimed 
at and this demands the most careful breeding, feeding and 
housing. The animals should be placed in a high and dry loca- 
tion and kept off the lowlands. The improvement of the land by 
drainage and cultivation, however, should be the final aim. 

SUN STROKE, INSOLATION, COUP DE SOLEIL, THER- 
MIC FEVER, HEAT STROKE, COUP DE CHALEUR. 
HITZSCHLAG, SONNENSTICH, ICTUS SOLIS, 
HEAT PROSTRATION, SIRIASIS, OVER- 
HEATING. 

Definition. — Under these various names the diseased condi- 
tion, in which an excessively high temperature, nervous prostra- 
tion, insensibility, coma and death are the prominent features, ' 
occurs. 



262 THEORY AND PRACTICE 

Nature.— It is an auto-intoxication with fatigue toxines and 
toxic decomposition products due to overwork in hot weather. 

The heat of warm blooded animals is produced by chemic 
metabolism, and is regulated by the thermal center in the medulla 
oblongata. The natural channels through which heat is lost 
are, according to Helmholtz, 2y 2 % by the solid and fluid egesta, 
5*4% by warming inspired air, 14%% by evaporation of the 
water carried out by the expired air, and 77y 2 % by radiation. 

Alexander Lambert gives the normal loss of animal heat as 
follows : 2.6% by warming food and drink, 2.6% by warming in- 
spired air, 14.7% by evaporation and 80.1% by radiation. These 
losses are affected by meteorological conditions. In very hot 
weather the loss caused by warming the food, drink and inspired 
air is almost nil, and in hot, humid weather, with low baromet- 
ric pressure, especially if there is no breeze, evaporation and 
radiation are reduced to a minimum. When the barometer is 
high the neve tonus is good, the animal feels well and evapora- 
tion keeps pace with the perspiration. Then there are no sun- 
strokes, but when the barometer is low, the weather hot and 
humid, the animal feels languid, perspiration is profuse, and 
evaporation is nil sunstrokes are common. Consequently sun- 
strokes are common on the Atlantic coast, in the region of the 
great lakes and in tropical climates, but in the Northwestern 
States they are rare. 

Etiology. — A condition of cerebral hyperaemia may come on 
from excessively active exercise in hot weather, attended by 
convulsions, syncope, coma and death. This is most often seen 
in dogs. 

In the horse the predisposing causes are old age, overwork 
or indigestion. The exciting causes are hard work in hot, humid 
weather with low barometer, insufficient water supply over- 
heating in horses working between other horses in three horse 
teams or gangs. 

Symptomatology. — At first there is profuse perspiration, then 
the horse begins, to pant and the sweat dries up; he now begins 
to stagger, becomes insensible, goes down, is unable to rise, soon 
becomes comatose, the surface of the body is dry and hot, the 



OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 263 

temperature is 109° to 112° F., the mucous membranes get livid, 
the pulse rapid and weak, the respirations at first are rapid, and 
as coma develops they get slower and finally stertorous. Death 
in bad cases follows in half an hour to four or five hours. 

Prognosis. — With a temperature of 109° a horse will usually 
recover if he receives prompt and proper treatment. 110° or 
higher will usually prove fatal, unless the treatment is very 
prompt and the horse is strong. 

Special Pathology. — There is a condition of anhydrsemia. 
The blood is thick, slightly if any coagulated, nearly black, with 
extensive destruction of red corpuscles. The lungs are con- 
gested, the rjght side of the heart is nearly empty, the left side 
is full of black nearly fluid blood, the brain is congested and the 
chromophylic plagues or Nissl's bodies are broken up, the liver 
and kidneys are congested, and the spleen is somewhat enlarged. 

Sequelae. — Supersensitiveness to heat that lasts the balance 
of the season, and sometimes for ever after. This is manifested 
by panting on slight exertion in hot weather, and staggering from 
slight cerebral congestion. Some cases become dummies. 

Treatment. — Get the patient into the shade as soon as pos- 
sible, if he is not comatose. Give him a half pint of whisky 
in as much water or an ounce of aromatic spirits of ammonia in 
half a pint of cold water. Give a grain of strychnia hypodermat- 
ically, and a dose of nitroglycerine if necessary ; dram doses of 
acetanilid will assist in reducing the temperature which must be 
brought about promptly. To aid in doing this put sacks of ice 
on the head and neck, and spray the body with cold water by 
pinching the end of a hose pointed upwards so as to let the water 
come down on to him like rain. Take his temperature every 
fifteen minutes and stop the spraying when it is reduced to 103°. 
If kept up longer it is apt to fall below the normal. In addition 
to the above, if the initial temperature is 110° or higher, give 
rectal injections of cold water with a fountain syringe. During 
convalescence give nux, aromatic spirits of ammonia, gentian, 
light diet and long rest. 

Prevention. — When horses come in from work hot, sponge 
them over with cold water and let them dry. Give internally 



264 ' THEORY AND PRACTICE 

aromatic spirits of ammonia and nux and tie the horses outside 
in the open air. Do not put them into the stable nor feed them 
till they are well cooled out. During this time give them cold 
water to drink in small quantities and often. If treated in this 
way they will be ready for work the next day, but if not they will 
go out tired next morning and probably collapse before night. 
When a horse begins to pant collapse is imminent, consequently 
he should be driven into the shade, unharnessed, sponged off, 
watered and, when able, driven home. 

DEATH BY LIGHTNING. 

Post Mortem findings in death from electricity. 

First : — Rigor Mortis is always quick, second or third hour, 
in 'fifty minutes in one case. 

Second : — 'Points of Penetration show more or less burns. 
Points of exit show less burning than those of entrance. 

Third: — If body is opened immediately the heart is lax, both 
ventricles full and the auricles pulsating rhythmically. If Post 
is delayed fifteen minutes or more the left ventricle is sometimes 
found empty and firmly contracted. 

Fourth: — The arteries are contracted to the limit, the blood 
being forced into the large veins of the trunk and head. 

Fifth : — Viscera engorged. 

Sixth : — Nervous system presents no change either macrosco- 
pical or microscopical. Molecular changes are supposed to occur 
but not proven. Brain is sometimes seen with gross destruction 
of peripheral cortex with intracranial hemorrhage. 

Cause of Death. — Paralysis of the heart in ventricular tre- 
mulation in case of a low pressure current (syncope), and in- 
hibition of the respiratory center in high pressure current 
(asphyxia). 

Treatment. — Artificial respiration and Faradic current to the 
precordium, diaphragm and epigastric region. Also bromides 
and strychnine. 



INDEX. 



PAGE 

Abdominal Glands-Diseases 

of 145 

Abscess-Sub-Periosteal 229 

Abscess-Post Pharyngeal... 55 

Active Congestion 21-22 

Acute Bronchitis 57 

Acute Farcy 164 

Acute Gastric-Impaction 109 

Acute Indigestion 106 

Acute Inflammatory Diseases 198 
Acute Parenchymatous Ne- 
phritis 216 

Acute Laryngitis 49 

Adhesion 29 

Agglutination Test 168 

Albuminuria 210 

Albumin- Test for in Urine.. 210 

Amaurosis 257 

Anaemia 16 

Anaemia-Cerebral 237 

Anal Fistula 139 

Anasarca 177 

Anemia-Infectious 180 

Aneurism 207 

Angina Pectoris 185 

Angiomata 223 

Anthrax 153 

Anus-Imperf orated 140 

Apoplexy v 198-237 

Appetite Capricious Ill 

Arteritis 206 

Articular Rheumatism 183 

Ascaris Megalocephala 127 

Ascites 143 

Asphyxia 32 

Asthma 68 

Atelectasis 57 

Atrophy of Bone 231 

Atrophy of Heart 203 

Auscultation 40 

Azoturia 190 

B 

Bacillus Anthracis 156 

Bacillus Malleus 161 

Balls-Dust 136 



PAGE 

Bastard Strangles 170 

Bean 218 

Big Head 231 

Bile-Reabsorption of 150 

-Suppression of 150 

Biliary Congestion of Liver. 147 
Bladder-Eversion of the 221 

-Rupture of 221 

Blind Staggers 236 

Blood-The 15 

Blood-Composition of the... 16 

Blood Diseases 36-153 

Blood Vessels-Diseases of... 206 
Bloody Flux 144 

-Urine 211 

Blue Disease 197 

Bone-Atrophy of 231 

Bones-Diseases of 228 

Botrymoycosis 174 

Bots 118 

Bowel Invagination 136 

Braxy 155 

Bright's Disease 210-215 

Broken Wind 63 

Bronchiolitis 59 

Bronchitis 57 

-Acute 57 

Bronchocele 227 

Broncho-Pneumonia 57-73 

Brown Atrophy of Heart... 203 
Buccal Membrane-Conges- 
tion of 92 

Bull Burnt 249 

Burnt Dog 249 

Bursatti 172 

C 

Cachexia 254 

Calculi 135 

-Salivary 98 

Callus 235 

Cancer 223 

Capped Hock and Knee.... 225 

Capricious Appetite Ill 

Carbuncle 218 

-Contagious 155 



266 



index — Continued. 



PAGE 

Caries 229 

Catarrh 45 

-Chronic 45 

Cerebral Anaemia 237 

-Congestion 236 

-Embolus 237 

-Hemorrhage and Men- 
ingitis 237-238 

-Softening 239 

Cerebritis 238 

Charbon 154 

Choking 101 

Chondroma 223 

Chorea 246 

Chronic Catarrh 45 

-Cough 53 

-Farcy 163 

-Gastritis 115 

-Heparitis 149 

.Indigestion-Gastric .. 110 

-Laryngitis 52 

-Rhinitis 45 

-Rheumatism 85 

Cirrhosis of Liver 149 

Classification of Disease 15 

Clox-Ante and Post Mortem 27 

Coital Exanthema 248 

Colic-Flatulent 132 

-Spasmodic 129 

Coma 33 

Conditioning of Horse 7° 

Congestion 21 

-Active 21-24 

-Pulmonary 59 

Congestion-Cerebral 236 

Congestion-Hypostatic ..... 21 

-Passive 23 

-Physiological 21 

Constipation 118 

Constitutional Osteo Porosis. 231 

Contagious Carbuncle 155 

Contagious Pleuro-Pneumonia 

of Cattle < 77 

Contagious Pneumonia ..... 77 

-Stomatitis 94 

Corn Stalk Disease 174 

Coryza Contagiosa Equorum. 170 

Cough-Chronic 53 

Cornea Inflammation 256 

-Opaque 255 

-Ulceration of 256 

Coughing » 41 

Coup de Chaleur 261 

Coup de Soleil 261 

Cow Pox 154 



PAGE 

Crepitation 42 

Cribbing 115 

Crick Back 242 

Cyanosis 197 

Cystitis 217 

Cysts 225 

-Dentigerous 227 

-Mucous 227 

-Ovarian 227 

-Serous 227 

D 

Death 30 

Death by Lightning 264 

Decomposition 145 

Dentigerous Cysts 227 

Detachment of the Retina... 258 

Diabetes Insipidus 212 

-Mellitus 213 

Diagnosis 14-15 

Diarrhoea 123 

-Acute in the Human.. 126 

-Chronic 126 

Dicrotic Pulse 19 

Digestive System-Diseases of 89 

Diphtheria 56 

Diseases-Acute Inflammatory. 198 

Disease-Classification of 15 

Disease in General 

Rational Treatment of. 36 
Diseases-Constitutional .... 153 
Diseases of Abdominal Glands 145 
Diseases of Blood Vessels... 206 
Diseases of the Circulstory 

System 195 

Diseases of the Digestive 

System , 89 

Diseases of the Mouth 92 

Diseases of the Nervous Sys- 
tem 236 

Diseases of the Oesophagus. 100 
Diseases of the Organs of 

Special Sense 253 

Diseases of the Reproductive 

System 247 

Diseases of the Stomach.... 105 

Diseases of the Throat 99 

Diseases of the Urinary Sys- 
tem 208 

Diseases-Respiratory 41 

Disinfection of Stables 166 

Disorganization 30 

Dourine 248 

Dropsy of the Ovaries 250 



index — Continued. 



267 



PAGE 

Dropsy of the Womb 250 

Druse 170 

Dry Gangrene 25 

Dummy 239 

Dust Balls 136 

Dysentery 144 

Dyspepsia 110 

Dyspnoea 42 

Dysuria 218 

E 

Ecchymosis 23 

Ectopia Cordis 206 

Ectropium 255 

Elephantiasis 187 

Embolism 26-207 

Embolus-Cerebral 237 

Emesis 105 

Emphysema-Pulmonary 63 

Empyema 83 

Endocarditis 200 

Endothelioma 222 

Engorgement of Stomach.. 106 

Enteritis 140 

Entropium 254 

Enuresis 220 

Ephemeral Fever 37 

Epitheliomata 223 

Epizootic Lymphangitis .... 189 

Equine Syphilis 248 

Eructations 107 

Etiology 13-14 

Eversion of the Rectum 137 

F 

Fabricula 37 

Fainting .. r 198 

Farcy 161 

Fatty Degeneration 205 

Fever-Ephemeral 37 

-Mixture 39 

-Putrid 155 

-Rational Treatment of 37 

-Simple 37 

-Splenic 155 

Fibrin 17 

Fibrinous Stage 59 

Fibroma 222-224 

Filaria Oculi 256 

Fistula-Anal 139 

-Intestinal 134 

-Salivary 97 

Flatulence-Gastric 106 

Flatulent Colic 132 



PAGE 

Flooding 212 

Flukes 152 

Flux-Bloody 144 

Foetal Lung 57-60 

Friction Sounds 42 

Fungus-Bleeding 254 

G 

Gangrene 24 

Gargle-Iron 53 

Gastric Flatulence 106 

-Impaction-Acute 109 

-Indigestion-Chronic... 110 

Gastritis 113 

-Chronic 115 

Glanders 161 

Glass Eye 257 

Gleet-Nasal 45 

Glioma 223 

Glossitis 94 

Glycosuria 213 

Goitre 227 

Gourme 170 

Grunting 41 

Gut-Ti e> 136 

Gut-Twist 136 

Gutta Serena 257 

H 

Haematoides Fungus 254 

Healing of Bone 235 

Heart 203 

-Atrophy 203 

-Dilatation of 202 

-Fatty Degeneration of 205 

-Failure-Sudden 31 

-Hypertrophy 203 

-Inflammation of Serous 

Sack of 198 

-Inflammation of Valves 

of 199 

-Muscle Inflammation. 203 

-Obesity of 205 

-Polypi 206 

-Rupture of 206 

-Tumors 206 

Heat Stroke 261 

Heaves-Confirmed and In- 
cipient 63-66-68 

Hematuria 21 1 

Hemiplegia 241 

Hemophilia • 16-23 

Hemorrhage by Rhexis 142 

Hemorrhage-Internal and Ex- 
ternal 32 



268 



index — Continued. 



PAGE 

Hemorrhagic Infarction .... 69 

Hemorrhoids 139 

Hepatitis 148 

-Chronic 149 

Histioid Tumors 222 

Hitzschlag 261 

Horse Sickness 155 

How to Kill a Horse 33 

Hydrocephalus 241 

Hydrometra 251 

Hydrophobia 158 

Hydrothorax 83 

Hygiene 14-15 

Hyperemia 21 

Hypertrophy of Heart. .. .203-204 
Hypostatic Congestion ....21-72 
Hysteria 252 

I 

Icterus 146 

Ictus Solis 261 

Imperforated Anus 140 

Inanition 25 

Indigestion 106 

-Chronic 106 

-Subacute 106 

Induration 29 

Infectious Anemia 180 

Inflammation 28 

-of the Bowels 140 

-of the Conjunctiva.. 253 

-of the Liver 148 

Influenza 175 

Insolation • 261 

Inspection 40 

Institutes of Medicine 13 

Intermittent Pulse 19 

Intersitial Pneumonia of 

Glanders 77 

Intestinal Fistula 134 

-Obstructions 135 

-Wall Rupture 140 

Introduction 12 

Intussusception 136 

Iron Gargle 53 

Irregular Pulse 19 

Irritant 27 

Ischuria ." 219 

Itching 152 

J 
Jaundice 146 

K 

Keratitis 256 

Kidneys-Hyperaemia of the. 214 



PAGE 

Kidneys-Inflammation 215 

Killing of Horse 33 

L 

Lampas 92 

Laryngitis 48 

-Acute 49 

-Chronic 52 

-Necrotic 48 

Laryngo-Pharyngitis 48 

Leiomyoma 228 

Leucoma 255 

Leucorrhoea 252 

Lipoma 223 

Liver-Active-Passive and 

Biliary Congestion 146 

-Cirrhosis of the 149 

-Congestion of 146 

-Fatty Degeneration of 150 
-Inflammation of the.. 148 

-Diseases of the 145 

Locomotor Ataxia 242 

Loodiana Disease 155 

Lymphadenitis 186 

Lymphadenoma 152 

Lymphangitis 186 

-Anaemic 190 

-Epizootic 186 

-Mycotic 186 

-Septic 190 

-Ulcerative 186 

Lumbago 183-184 

M 

Mad Staggers 239 

Malarial Fever 180 

Malignant Pox 247 

-Pustule 156 

Mallein Test 164-167 

Malleus-Baccilus 161 

Massage of the Bowels 123 

Masturbation 253 

Mechanical Engorgement . . 69 

Meconium-dry 120 

Megrims 236 

Meningitis-Cerebral 230 

Mensuration 40 

Metastatic Rheumatism 183 

Micturition-Profuse . ... 212 

Milzbrand 155 

Moist Gangrene 24 

Monday Morning Sickness.. 187 

M'oonblindness 259 

Morbid Anatomy 14 

Morve-La .. , .' 161 



index — Continued. 



269 



PAGE 

Mountain Fever 180 

Muscle Tumors 228 

Muscular Rheumatism 183 

Myelitis 240 

Myocarditis 203 

Myomata 223-228 

Myxoma 222 

N 

Nasal Gleet 45 

Nausea 107 

Necraemia 34 

Necrosis 25 

-of Bone 230 

Necrotic Laryngitis 48 

Negri Bodies 159 

Nematoda 128 

Nephritis 215 

Nervous System-Disease of. 236 

Neuralgia 183-188 

Neuroma 225 

Neuromata 223 

Nicolaier Bacillus 243 

Noncontagious Pneumonia . . 73 

Noname Disease 180 

Normal Respiration of Horse 37 

Nosology 13-35 

Nymphomania 252 

O 

Obesity of the Heart 205 

Obstructions-Intestinal 135 

Occlusion 60 

Oedema 22 

Oedema Glottidis 48 

Oesophagismus ■ . 101 

Oesophagitis 100 

Oesophagus-Organic Diseases 

of 104 

Onanism 253 

Opaque Cornea 256 

Ophthalmia Periodic 259 

-Recurrent 259 

-Simple 253 

-Specific 259 

Organic Diseases of the Oeso- 
phagus 104 

Organs of Special Sense-Dis- 
eases of 253 

Organization 30 

Orthotonos 244 

Ossium-Fragilitis 233 

Osteitis 228 

Osteoclasts 235 



PAGE 

Osteosclerosis 229 

Osteoma 223 

Osteomalacia 232 

Osteomyelitis 228 

Osteoporosis 229 

-Constitutional 231 

Ovaries-Dropsy of .the 250 

Overheating 261 

Oxaluria 213 

Oxyuris Curvula 128 

Ozena 45 

P 

Palatine Artery Hemorrhage 92 

Palpation 40 

Palpitation . . ^ 105 

Palsy 241 

Pancreas-Fatty Degeneration 153 

Paracentesis Thoracis 86 

Paralysis 240 

-of Throat 54 

Paraphimosis 250 

Paraplegia 241 

Paresis 240 

Parotid Gland Inflammation. 95 

Parotiditis 95 

Pasty Mouth 124 

Pathogenesis 13 

Pathogeny 13-14 

Pathology 13 

-General 13 

Percussion 40 

Pericarditis 198 

Periodic Ophthalmia 259 

Periostitis 229 

Peritonitis 143 

Pernicious Anemia 180 

Petaechial Typhus 155 

Petechiae . 23 

Pharyngitis 99 

Phlebitis 207 

Phlyctena 48 

Phymosis 250 

Piles-Bleeding 139 

Pin Worms 128 

Plains Paralysis 180 

Plethora 16 

Pleural Adhesions 85 

Pleurisy 81 

Pleuro-Pneumonia 73 

PI euro-Pneumonia of Cattle. 77 

Pneumonia 72 

Pneumonia- Contagious 77 

-Broncho 57-73 

-of Glanders-Interstitial 77 



270 



index — Continued. 



PAGE 

Pneumothorax 88 

-Record of a Case of.. 88 

Polypi of the Heart 206 

Polyuria ^ 111-211 

Post Mortem Digestion 118 

Post Pharyngeal Abscess.... 55 
Pox-Simple and Malig- 
nant 247-248 

Prognosis 14 

Protozoon 153 

Ptyalism 96 

Pulmonary Apoplexy 69 

-Congestion 69 

-Emphysema 63 

Pulsating Tumor 207 

Pulse m 17 

-Dicrotic 19 

-Frequent and Infre- 
quent 18 

-Hard and Soft 19 

-Intermittent 19 

-Irregular 19 

-Large and Small .... 18 

-Quick and Slow 18 

-Venous 19 

Purpura Hemorrhagica 177 

Pustule-Malignant 156 

Putrid Fever 155 

Pyogenic Fever 170 

Q 

Quinsy 54 

R 

Rabies 158 

Rachitis 233 

Rales 42 

Ranula 227 

Rational Treatment of Dis- 
ease in General 36 

Rational Treatment of Fever 37 
Rectum-Eversion of the 137 

-Tenesmus of 144 

Recurrent Ophthalmia 259 

Renal Calculus 217 

-Congestion 214 

Reproductive System 

-Diseases of the 247 

Respiratory Diseases 41 

Results of Active Congestion 24 
Retina-Detachment of the... 258 

Rhabdomyoma 228 

Rhexis-Hemorrhage by 142 

Rheumatic Fever 182 



PAGE 

Rheumatism 182 

Rhinitis 42-47 

Rickets 233 

Roaring 42-52 

Rotzkrankheit 161 

Rupture of Heart 206 

-of Intestinal Wall 140 

-of Stomach 116 

S 

Saccharomyces Farciminosus 189 

Sales Stable Fever 86 

Salivary Calculi 98 

-Fistula 97 

Sarcoma 222 

Satyriasis 252 

Scarlatina 179 

Sciatica 183-184 

Scirrhous Cord 227 

Scirrhous Cancer 223 

Sclerosis of the Cord 242 

Sclerostoma Equinum 127 

Scouring 127 

Semeiology 13 

Septic Lymphangitis 190 

Sequestrum 230 

Shakes 187 

Shipping Fever 77 

Shivers 246 

Shot of Grease 187 

Sibilant Sounds 59 

Simple Pox 247 

Singultus 195 

Siriasis 261 

Sitfast 25 

Sneezing 42 

Snoring 42 

Sonnenstich 261 

Sore Throat 48 

Spasmodic Colic 129 

Specific Ophthalmia 209 

Sphacelation 48 

Spleen 152 

Splenic Fever - 155 

Staggers-Stomach 109 

Staphyloma 258 

Sthenic Syncope 31 

Stomach-Diseases of 105 

-Engorgement 106 

-Rupture of 116 

-Staggers 109 

Stomatitis 93 

Stomatitis Pustulosa Conta- 
giosa 94-155 



index — Continued. 



271 



PAGE 

Strausstest 167 

Stricture 136 

Strangles 170 

Strangury 220 

Streptococcus Equi _. 171 

Strongylus Armatus 127 

Subacute Indigestion 106 

Subacute Rhinitis ._ 45 

Succussion 41 

Sun Stroke 261 

Superpurgation 125 

Suppuration 59 

Surra 174 

Swamp Fever 175-180 

Symptomatology 13-14 

Syncope 198 

-Asthenic 31 

-Sthenic 31 

Syphilis Equine 248 

T 

Tabes Dorsalis 242 

Tapping 133 

Teeth-bearing Cysts 227 

Temperature 20 

Tenesmus 217 

-of Rectum 144 

Teratomata 223 

Tetanus 243 

Therapeutics 14 

Thermic Fever 261 

Thirst-Excessive Ill 

Throat-Diseases of 99 

-Paralysis of 54 

Thrombosis 26-207 

Thrush-Baby's 93 

Thumps 195 

Torti Colis 185 

Tracheotomy 51 

Trismus 244 

Trypanosoma Equiperdum . . 248 

Trypanosoma Evansi 175 

Trypanosomiasis 175 

Tubular Breathing . ._. 75 

Tumor- Pulsating 207 

Tumors of the Heart 206 

Tumors ". 221 

Tympanitis 132 



PAGE 

Tympanitis of the Rumen... 102 
Typhoid Fever 144-180 

U 

Ulceration qf the Cornea.... 255 
Ulcerative Lymphangitis ... 186 

Unknown Disease- The 180 

Unthriftiness Ill 

Uraemia 193 

Urethritis 221-249 

Urinary System-Diseases of. 208 

Urine-Bloody 211 

-Incontinence 220 

-Sugar in 213 

-Suppression of the... 219 
Uterine Haemorrhage 198 

V 

Vaccina 154 

Vaccination 154 

Valvular Disease 202 

Valvulitis 200 

Varicose Veins 208 

Variola 154 

Varix 208 

Veins-Inflammation of 207 

-Dilated 208 

-Varicose 208 

Venous Pulse 19 

Verminous Cyst 128 

Vertigo 236 

Volvulus . . 136 

Vomition 105-116 

W 

Weed 187 

Wheezing 42-52-69 

Whistling 42-52 

Wind Galls 225 

Wind Sucking 115 

Womb-Dropsy of the 251 

Woolsorter's Disease 155 

Worms in Colic 128 

-Armed 129 

-Common Pin 129 

-Large Round 129 



i 



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